Sony might be leading the current console generation sales race with the PlayStation 4 but the company is uninterested in resting on its laurels and is launching a two pronged effort to keep its advantage in the face of a resurgent Xbox One.
Wednesday, September 7th was supposed to be all about the new Slim version of the home console and the coming virtual reality solution for it but instead Andrew House, the leader of the gaming division, chose to focus on the newly revealed Pro version, which is an incremental upgrade aimed at both those who already own a PS4 and those who have not bought into the current generation of devices.
Sony is aiming to get the PlayStation 4 in its Pro form on the market on November 10, just in time to take advantage of the coming holiday shopping season, for the price of 399 dollars in the United States and, presumably, somewhere around 399 Euro in European countries.
The main selling points for the new device are support for 4K resolution and HDR for gaming, which are designed to deliver an improved visual experience for those who have the necessary television sets, and smoother frame rates created by more powerful CPU and GPU.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, one of the most popular games for the PS4, is getting a special patch that will arrive when the Pro is on the market and improved performance is also promised for big fall titles that include: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Sony is very clear that it has no plans to introduce game features that are exclusive to the PlayStation 4 Pro and that both versions of its home console will be offering full support for the PlayStation VR headset when it arrives in November.
Clear data about UHD and 4K display devices is relatively hard to come by but most estimates put it under 10% in both Europe and the United States, which means that a relatively small subset of gamers will potentially benefit from the arrival of the Pro.
Sony is clearly interested in future proofing its home console, given that it will continue to sell the Pro for at least 3 years and probably more and 4K presence in the home is expected to grow to 30 or even 40 percent by 2019.
For those who use the PlayStation 4 as a media machine Sony is saying that partnerships with Netflix for a new 4K app and YouTube is apparently working on something similar, with Amazon rumored to also be interested in delivering its content in higher resolution.
Interestingly there’s no support for Blu-ray for 4K action in the new console and it’s unclear whether there are plans to introduce it later via software update.
The Slim version of the PS4 is set to be offered later in the month for 299 dollars and it still represents the best way to get into the current home console generation, with Sony clearly aiming to make it as attractive as possible from both a financial and a technology standpoint.
HDR for video games and support for 4K when it comes to video are already offered by the Xbox One S, which Microsoft recently introduced to the market, and the new device also has a smaller form factor and an integrated power source.
The coming Pro and the S are the two versions which will be involved in sales competition associated with the Christmas season and Microsoft is planning to deliver a more powerful Xbox One, codenamed Scorpio, at some point in late 2017.
Despite the improvements delivered by the new consoles from both Sony and Microsoft it is unclear whether those who already own a launch version will be tempted to upgrade, especially if they do not own one of the new television sets that support 4K or HDR.
Basically both companies are moving towards a model that treats the gaming market like big smartphone manufacturers have been doing for years with their own and it is unclear whether veteran gamers are interested or able to invest 300 or 400 dollars or Euro every few years for relatively minor improvements.
The new Pro version of the PlayStation 4 might not be a revolution but it will be interesting to see what it can deliver in conjunction with the coming VR solution from Sony and how long it will take for the Slim to disappear completely and to be replaced by the new version.