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.

The best PS4 model to buy is the current PS4s, not the slim. Why would you want to sacrifice the optical output even if you don't use it? If size is a concern, the PS4 slim isn't a whole lot smaller than the PS4 anyways.

Oh and it looks like Sony just doesn't learn from their mistakes? The PS4 Pro uses touch capacitive buttons for the Power/Eject switches. Prepare yourself for more 3 beeps and phantom disc ejects.

Because XV releases after October 1st, it is required to have a PS4 Pro "mode". Tabata has also said previously that they will most probably have a patch for the mid-gen consoles (PS4 Pro and presumably Xbox Scorpio).

Safe to assume that yes, XV should run smoother on the PS4 Pro.


The auto eject issue is caused by static between the metal piece on the casing and the contact plate on the motherboard, not just the rubber foot. Moving the buttons to the center doesn't solve the issue if they are still using the the static shot method. If they want to use touch buttons, then they should go back to the PS3 phat design where the entire contact point is a single piece. Won't know until it launches and teardowns has been done.

1) Wait for PS4 slim launch.
2) Watch for PS4 "old" price drops like rock.
3) Buy PS4 old.
4) Profit.

Don't stress for nothing.

List of confirmed games from the Asia press that will receive a PS4 Pro patch at or slightly after launch.

Not sure why it wasn't posted.

Just hope that after the first wave of games having a 1080p60 mode and an upscaled 4k mode, the next wave of games (coming mid to late 2017) will not just focus on upscaled 4k and HDR, but forget 1080p users. That would be a bummer, but not entirely out of equation.

We have ipongs being priced at more than RM4k and still selling like goreng pisang panas... PS4 Pro is only 1.8k at its SRP, big freaking deal.

We don't know yet what the so called enhancements will be. Higher frames? Cool, but how much higher and are they locked? Better visuals? Cool again, but how much better?

At this point, it isn't a good time to buy a TV. The KS7500 ticks a lot of check boxes for the ideal gaming TV, but its input lag under HDR condition isn't concrete.

CES 2017 is just a few months away btw.

The X70/75D are not HDR-spec TVs, at least they aren't actually certified to be under the UHD Premium Alliance. HDR10 requires a TV to have a minimum of 1000 nits brightness in a 2% window. For reference, the X70/X75D tops out at 340 nits, way below reference.

Also understand that the vast majority of mid-range 4k TVs do not actually have the hardware required to process HDR metadata. What this means is that the wrong color space is usually used (approximation) and due to how many mid-range TVs are using edge LEDs as their backlight, sources can and will look over exposed or washed out often times.

As a side note, the only Sony TV available in Malaysia now that conforms to the HDR10 spec is the X93D series. The Z9D series will follow suit in a few weeks time when it releases. Sony also uses their own HDR spec instead of one conformed by multiple bodies in the industry.

Don't buy into the marketing hype and bs. HDR is important and when done right, is indeed amazing. Do the research first and if anything, don't buy a TV now.

The x800/x850d, just like the x700/750d series are not true to spec HDR TVs. Again I reiterate, they are capable of displaying HDR content but they lack the proficiency in being good at doing so.

More over they use mediocre IPS panels, so contrast ratio is pretty poor. HDR so what? The blacks would like grey dirt.

Don't bother with Sony TVs this year.

It can accept and display HDR content, however like the majority of TVs; it lacks the hardware to do it properly. Also, its max brightness tops out at only 460 nits. Not even half of what HDR10 requires.

Not really, TV tech has been stagnant since 2009 all the way up until 2014. It was 5 years of rehashed technology on each subsequent year, with more and more bs marketing talk sprinkled over another.

It was only in 2014 when 4k TVs started to become mainstream. Unfortunately, 2015 and 2016 has became the years where we are in the middle of transitioning from 1080p to 4k + HDR. This will continue through out 2017 I believe and it'll really only be in 2018 where mid range 4k TVs will have most of the bells and whistles of their higher end brothers.

Your TV wasn't phased out, it just wasn't even built to be future proof in any way in the first place, putting it bluntly.

Got effect so what? Find me a 1080p HDR capable TV. None existent right?

So then that means PS4 "old" users are stuck with playing their PS4s on a 4k HDR TV, but running without a hardware upscale like the PS4 Pro does. Might as well don't bother.

Games are a no go then, what about movies? Well, because Sony is so damn smart not to include a UHD drive on the PS4 slim, then that means everyone is stuck with good ol' 1080p Blu-Ray. The problem? There isn't a single 1080p Blu-Ray movie that employs HDR.

HDR on the PS4 is as pointless as it gets.

A PS4 plays exactly the same way it would on a 4k TV vs a 1080p TV. The internal resolution will be determined by the devs for a game, then output as is and then upscaled by a 4k TV. Performance is unchanged between a 1080p TV and 4k TV.

Many 4k TVs since 2015 has done a remarkable job in upscaling 1080p content. To my eyes, aside from some perceiveable softness to overall picture quality, playing a 1080p game on a 4k TV is pretty much as good as playing it on a 1080p TV itself.


It's not a mystery. CPU remains the same 'Jaguar' cores but has gotten a boost to clock speed. The PS4 Pro's CPU runs at 2.1ghz vs the 1.6ghz on the PS4.

Unfortunately, an extra 500mhz isn't going to be significant.
The Jaguar cores are just sloooow out of the gate. There are people who has OC'd them on their laptop counterparts up to 3ghz even, but the increase in performance isn't anything to shout about.


Not correct.

The slim PS4 uses the EXACT same CPU as the "phat" PS4. The GPU is the same as well, based on the Pitcairn architecture.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Sep 15 2016, 03:09 PM

The lower power consumption is due to a process node shrink. The CPU's performance is still unchanged other than the devkit updates that Sony has implemented a couple of months ago, of which applies to all PS4s.

Check which is your PS4 model, then get the corresponding PSU replacement - https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Guide/24719

Fortunately, the PS4's PSU is quite modular. Just open the bottom and top casing, remove the PSU cable and some screws then pop it off. Then replace it with the new PSU, very simple to do (it's actually even easier to replace than a PC PSU since cable management is not needed).

You set it 'off'. Even if your TV is HDR capable, the game has to have a HDR mode in order to display HDR values.

Because it's cheaper to buy old PS4s and salvage the PSU, Blu-ray drive, and HDD as repair parts than to get them from some unknown China source.

Most probably not. Most parts on the Pro has a different design, including the Blu-ray drive.

As if reviewers know best. The PS4 Pro isn't even future proofed, just like the current PS4. It'll run out of steam by the end of next year.

It's logical to get a pro if you don't own any ps4 at the moment, just so if games at 1080p will be better.