Here's my 2 cents on the PS4 Pro.
The Good
- Sony pushing HDR and HDR is indeed a game changer, it's more impactful than 4k res IMO.
- The price is right, $400/RM1799 is a good balance ground.
- Checkerboard upscaling is actually built into the GPU, so it isn't software post-process based like what Quantum Break uses on the Xbone. This means devs can just flip the switch on and off on their dev tools, then optimize accordingly.
- 4k upscaling is a good move and I'm glad Sony is making it mandatory that every game works on the PS4 and the PS4 Pro with various "modes".
- Polaris architecture is the right move, tbh I had some worries that Sony would use a Fiji based GPU like the R9 Nano but with much lower GPU clocks.
The Bad
- No UHD Blu-Ray drive. This is a seriously stupid omission. Most modern 4k smart TVs can stream Netflix at 4k, why the hell is Netflix 4k a selling point on the PS4 Pro? Also, 4k streaming is pretty shit on Netflix, it's barely comparable to a full 1080p Blu-Ray iso.
- A UHD BR drive adds $15-$22 cost production. Of course if you look at it on a big scale manufacturing, that is a lot of money. But the xbone S has a UHD drive, so if one wants to argue that the PS4 Pro would then have to be priced higher than $400, why isn't the PS4 slim which costs the same as the xbone S have a UHD drive then?
- Sony is promising the moon, but will probably end up giving us the cheese. Remember the PS4 unveiling 3 years ago? 1080p gaming blah blah blah, today we have the PS4 struggling to maintain 30fps on most games.
- Because Sony wants to release the PS4 Pro this year, it really mean that they have no competitor to the Xbox Scorpio. The PS4 Pro is using an underclocked RX 480, a Polaris card. The Scorpio will use presumably, AMD's Vega architecture next year. I feel that Sony is shooting themselves in the foot again, where in the original PS4 they should have gone with a HD7870 based GPU instead of a HD7850 GPU.
Misc.
If we forget about the PS4 Pro being a 4k upscaling machine (lelz), but look at it solely as a 1080p60 machine with mostly maxed out visuals on most games, then I feel that the PS4 Pro makes sense at this point, today. Doubling it as the actual companion to the PSVR is also a very sensible choice, because frankly speaking; the PS4 just can't do intensive VR.
TVs then, HDR is a game changer indeed, but be aware that you really need a TV equipped with a HDR hardware processor and not just backlight trickery to produce HDR content properly.
Majority of the 4k TVs today, entry level and up to mainstream mid-range models
DO NOT have the necessary HDR hardware to process HDR10 content to its maximum detail. Netflix HDR yes (SMPTE ST2084), but unless games uses the same subpar standard then what most people would see on TV like the Sony X85D is a limited range of HDR (which is ironic).
TV choice will be critical guys and unfortunately, the 4k TVs that really have all the bells and whistles for proper HDR processing, low input lag, and amazing PQ - they cost A LOT. Here's hoping come CES 2017 there will be more midrange 4k TVs with high-end features in them.
Do not buy a PS4 Pro because you want it as a 4k upscaling console or buying into the HDR hype without having the actual equipment to see it in its full glory. Buy the PS4 Pro if your current PS4 breaks or buy it if there will be plenty of games doing 1080p60 OR; buy it to compliment the PSVR.
Good points.