By Sean Montalbano
Lamp staff
Sony unveiled two new models of the Playstation 4, a slimmed down model with a lower price and a higher-end system that some say is beyond what most gamers will use.
The higher end Playstation 4 Pro provides a game resolution that is better than most people’s current TV’s capabilities.
“I don’t know anyone who has a TV capable of that,” said Peter Robledo, a student at Lincoln Land, of the Pro’s 4K resolution.
Most high-definition televisions, or HDTVs, display images at 1,080 pixels, but 4K TVs display images in 4,000 pixels.
The higher the resolution the greater the detail, so a 4K image is immensely more detailed than one at 1,080 pixels.
The Playstation 4 Pro also has a High Dynamic Range, which allows a wider range of colors and added depth to the color spectrum.
Both of these features are only viewable on a 4K TV. So, even HDTV owners won’t be able to use this benefit of the Pro.
The Playstation 4 Pro, which will launch Nov. 10, is more powerful, but reports say it is not a massive leap forward in power. Furthermore, it is not even as powerful as many gaming PCs on the market. The same games will run on both the launch PS4 and the PS4 Pro, but the Pro will likely boost the frame rate or increase resolution.
There hasn’t really been an upgraded version of an existing console before this. The Playstation Pro might represent where console gaming is going in the future and how it is headed towards the smartphone cycle. Small iterations of the previous system while slowly phasing out the oldest model.
“I kind of want to get one, for the extra power, but then I think I shouldn’t … I don’t have a 4K TV and $399 seems like a lot when I can’t use all the aspects (HDR and 4K,)” said collegestudent Eric Hudec.
Both Hudec and Robledo said they own a PS4, but the price tag that much harder to justify the Pro.
The console will support 4K streaming with built in applications like Netflix and Youtube allowing users to watch 4K digital content. However, the Pro does not include a 4K Bluray Player, which is baffling considering how much Sony is pushing this as a 4K console. Especially when Microsoft, Sony’s competitor, just shipped a 4K BluRay compatible console, the Xbox One S, for $299 only a month ago.
With how expensive 4K TVs are at the moment, most being past the $3,000 mark, it appears most people won’t be fully equipped for this console.
“Honestly with the price and the small power difference, I would rather just upgrade a PC instead,” said student Trent Lael
Also at the Sept. 7 announcement, Sony also revealed the Playstation 4 Slim.
This smaller and thinner version of the console that will become the standard model going forward and phase out the original Playstation 4 at retailers.
The Slim consists of the same internal hardware of the launch PS4, making the power and capabilities nearly identical other than a sleeker exterior.
The Playstation 4 Slim costs $299, signifying a much expected price drop for the PS4, and launched Sept. 15.
Sean Montalbano can be reached at [email protected].
