PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro: Sony’s 4K Juggernaut Console is Announced

We speculated that the 7^th of September would be the day that we learnt about Sony’s next step within the cycle of the PlayStation 4. As expected, held at an event in New York, Sony has unveiled two new editions of the console. Already heavily leaked online, the PS4 Slim was announced and will be sold at a cheaper cost, making it both lighter in weight and price. However, it was the news of the PS4 Pro which took the limelight.

The PS4 Pro

4K gaming is a resolution that appears to be approaching very fast, and it was an area that Sony wanted to be a part of. Interestingly, this will be the first time that we’ve seen Sony alter a console cycle so radically – we’ve seen slim editions before, but not radical performance enhancements. Perhaps this is just a sign of the times – after all, technology is sprinting ahead at a pace never seen before.

 

The PS4 Pro will have double the graphics processing power when compared to the standard PlayStation 4. This will allow it to render games and content in 4K. Many gamers were hoping that Sony would also include the facility to play 4K Blu-ray movies, however, this won’t be the case. Streaming is attracting a quickly growing audience and this appears to be partly why Sony opted out of providing this specific feature. Not just this though, but Sony also has partnerships with online movie streaming services such as Netflix, which is sure to be a factor. Many would argue that many don’t have access to super-fast internet, typically a necessary ingredient for streaming content with this type of resolution.

Many were worrying that their experience after buying the standard edition would become obsolete. Of course, this won’t be the case at all, and Sony has been very careful not to create some kind of division between its fans and customers alike. Whichever edition of the console you own, the content you’re able to access will be the same, the only difference will be in the resolution you’re viewing.

The PS4 Pro will launch on November 10, 2016 $399, €399 and £349. See pictures of the PS4 Pro.

PS4 Pro Details and Specs:

Product name	PlayStation®4 Pro
Color	Jet Black
Product code	CUH-7000 series
RRP	JP44,980yen, US$399, EU€399, and £349*2
Main processor	Single-chip custom processor CPU: x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”, 8 cores GPU: 4.20 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ based graphics engine
Memory	GDDR5 8GB
Storage size*4	1TB
External dimensions	Approx. 295×55×327 mm (width × height × length) (excludes largest projection)
Mass	Approx. 3.3 kg
BD/ DVD drive (read only)	BD × 6 CAV DVD × 8 CAV
Input/ Output	Super-Speed USB (USB 3.1 Gen.1) port × 3 AUX port × 1
Networking	Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)×1 IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE)
Power	AC 100V, 50/60Hz
Power consumption	Max. 310W
Operating temperature	5ºC – 35ºC
AV output	HDMI™ out port (supports 4K/HDR) DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) port
*1 Outputted by graphic rendering or up-scaled.

The PS4 Slim

 

The PS4 Slim will follow the same aesthetics as the new PS4 Pro, however, it will have one less layer to it. You’ll be able to purchase the PS4 Slim this month at $299, €299 and £259. See pictures of the PS4 Slim.

Sony’s route seems both fair and sensible. With that said, the PS4 is the best gaming console currently available, and will remain so for the distant future. Are you looking forward to 4K gaming? Are you pleased that Sony will open this opportunity for you? Be sure to leave your comments below.