PS4 Pro vs. PS4

[ckenisell]

So, I did two things I said that I would never do:

1. Get the PS4 Pro
2. Get Battlefront II

I was against the PS4 Pro because I felt it was a stop-gap between the PS4 and the PS5 and that there wouldn't be that big of a difference. Also, I was pissed that they didn't include a UHD drive/player in the Pro.

And I was against Battlefront II because of the loot crate microtransaction business EA was requiring.

But, after I got an amazing deal on a 65" 2018 Samsung QLED Q8F and seeing the hideous looking God of War PS4 Pro Bundle, I ended up picking up the Battlefront II PS4 Pro Bundle (and I'll just buy GoW when it drops down to $20 or something.)

So, my initial impressions:

Since many of the games I currently own are on the list of PS4 Pro Enhanced Games, I decided it would be worth the $400 bucks to add a second PS4 to our house. I have hooked it up to our older 4KTV that doesn't support HDR and it's simply amazing! Playing The Last of Us and Uncharted The Lost Legacy in 4K is stunning. I can't wait until my Samsung arrives to see it in full HDR glory.

The antialiasing alone makes the upgrade worth every penny, but the added resolution and HDR will be icing on the cake. Very glad I added the PS4 Pro.

So far, I have installed and played in 4K...



I plan on installing and trying in 4K...



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[A Tortured Duckling]

Okay?

[kurtis21]

Good move! The Pro looks great in 4K HDR! You will really enjoy Horizon! Probably the best looking game imo.

[Dirk504]

Is it really that much of a difference? I just bought an XBox One X and Sony 900e and the enhanced games look amazing. But the games on my regular PS4 look better than they previously did on my 1080p TV as well, so I was going to wait for the PS4 since the Pro’s specs don’t seem like too much of an improvement.

[SlaughterX]

I wasn't aware the BF2 bundle was a Pro... I really wanted the MH LE Pro, but if I can find a good deal on this bundle I might bite. How much did it cost you, and where did you get it?

[ckenisell]

Originally Posted by Dirk504

Is it really that much of a difference? I just bought an XBox One X and Sony 900e and the enhanced games look amazing. But the games on my regular PS4 look better than they previously did on my 1080p TV as well, so I was going to wait for the PS4 since the Pro’s specs don’t seem like too much of an improvement.

Yes, I didn't think that there would really be that much of a difference, but Holy Moley was I wrong. I am going to be replaying all of my Pro-enhanced games. It's stunning. Lighting, textures, anti-aliasing, resolution are all improved. It's almost what I I expected the PS5 to be. The ONLY thing wrong with the PS4 Pro is that it doesn't have a UHD drive. I had to go out and buy a $350 Samsung UHD player to hook up to my Q8F when it arrives.

[MosHighDef]

Im thinking of getting one for God of War, but still don't know if it's worth spending 399 on feeling like the same system.

[ckenisell]

Originally Posted by MosHighDef

Im thinking of getting one for God of War, but still don't know if it's worth spending 399 on feeling like the same system.

I didn't really want to spend the money either. But I got this $3,000 TV for $900 and I figured it would be a shame to play 1080p games on a beautiful 4K TV.

[Ray O. Blu]

Originally Posted by ckenisell

I didn't really want to spend the money either. But I got this $3,000 TV for $900 and I figured it would be a shame to play 1080p games on a beautiful 4K TV.

Where’d you get the deal on the tv?

Congrats on the upgrade, too.

[NegaScott128]

Originally Posted by Dirk504

Is it really that much of a difference? I just bought an XBox One X and Sony 900e and the enhanced games look amazing. But the games on my regular PS4 look better than they previously did on my 1080p TV as well, so I was going to wait for the PS4 since the Pro’s specs don’t seem like too much of an improvement.

Depends on the game. Some will look amazing, others will look fine, and some won't see any benefit at all. A lot of games are running at 1440p, which is an improvement over 1080p but nowhere near what you'd need for an effective 4K presentation. I'd recommend checking out Digital Foundry to see if the upgrades are worth it for you or not.

I think the Pro is arguably better for 1080p screens than it is for 4K screens. Since so few games are putting out anything resembling native 4K (or even checkerboard 4K), you don't really see a dramatic difference compared to the standard PS4. Plus, with the new supersampling feature, 1080p users can get better anti-aliasing than the base consoles, and Boost Mode helps iron out performance issues in non-supported games.

[dyne]

I got into the 4k scene a couple months ago with an LG C7. I just can't justify the $200+ dollar investment at this point for a Pro (with trade in) for two reasons. The base PS4 to me looks fine on it (maybe a tad soft if you're really looking). The HDR is what has been making a difference to me on both the X and 4 and the Slim does that just fine. I also don't like the scattershot implementation of the enhancements.

[ckenisell]

Originally Posted by dyne

I got into the 4k scene a couple months ago with an LG C7. I just can't justify the $200+ dollar investment at this point for a Pro (with trade in) for two reasons. The base PS4 to me looks fine on it (maybe a tad soft if you're really looking). The HDR is what has been making a difference to me on both the X and 4 and the Slim does that just fine. I also don't like the scattershot implementation of the enhancements.

Maybe you can find someone in your area that would bring their Pro over to hook up to your C7. While I haven't had a chance to see the standard PS4 with HDR on my Samsung yet, I have had a chance to see the Pro on my Panasonic 4K TV without HDR and I am already wowed. I wish my Samsung would hurry up and arrive already.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by ckenisell

Maybe you can find someone in your area that would bring their Pro over to hook up to your C7. While I haven't had a chance to see the standard PS4 with HDR on my Samsung yet, I have had a chance to see the Pro on my Panasonic 4K TV without HDR and I am already wowed. I wish my Samsung would hurry up and arrive already.

I have 4k games on my Xbox X and still the thing that wow's me is the HDR over the resolution. Same with the few films I've bought. I actually would have been fine buying a much larger screen at 1080 if it had HDR. Sadly there's no OLED's at that resolution with it.

[partridge]

Same here, HDR looks great, it can really make games pop with vibrancy.

I keep thinking about getting a Pro at some point but I need a price drop to happen, or a sale, before I do.

[trippledx3]

Originally Posted by dyne

I have 4k games on my Xbox X and still the thing that wow's me is the HDR over the resolution. Same with the few films I've bought. I actually would have been fine buying a much larger screen at 1080 if it had HDR. Sadly there's no OLED's at that resolution with it.

HELL yes, iv been in the 4k film game since the first player dropped back in 16, my 4k collection is over 100 and i can say HDR is truly the game changer, most 4k movies are even still 2k masters (same as bluray, 4k is suppose to have a 4k master) they just added HDR to them. Thats how big of a difference it is.

[tjritter79]

Unless you have a trained eye, you're not going to see a difference resolution only, between HD 1080 and 2160. What makes 4K pop and drives sales of discs and equipment has been the advent of HDR. HDR is what is making the difference to most people with their 4K equipment. It's almost unfair how great 4K looks with HDR when compared to 1080.
Now, if only Sony could get their act together on their TV's regarding DolbyVision, we might see an additional spark in sales & equipment. If not, well wait till HDR+ becomes common...prolly next year by this time.

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by partridge

Same here, HDR looks great, it can really make games pop with vibrancy.

I keep thinking about getting a Pro at some point but I need a price drop to happen, or a sale, before I do.

I've seen Star Wars & GoW bundles where you get the game along with the console for the console-only price of $399 (USA). But I doubt as long as those sell they will drop the price below $399 for just the unit.

[McGarnigal]

Originally Posted by dyne

I got into the 4k scene a couple months ago with an LG C7. I just can't justify the $200+ dollar investment at this point for a Pro (with trade in) for two reasons. The base PS4 to me looks fine on it (maybe a tad soft if you're really looking). The HDR is what has been making a difference to me on both the X and 4 and the Slim does that just fine. I also don't like the scattershot implementation of the enhancements.

Does the slim offer HDR enhancements that the fat can't?

[agoofykindasuperman]

My PS4 was stolen a couple weeks ago during a break-in, so am going to pick up a Pro now. The bundles with Pro are on $50 off right now and include Far Cry 5 which I intend to sell to recoup some of the cost. But I can also get the Star Wars Battlefront II limited edition with the extra game, however I would sell that game too, (but might be hard given it's unpopularity) and I'm not sold on the design. I'm not a Star Wars fan at all so the look of the console and controller (and the fact it says STAR WARS) right on the front make me second guess buying that one.

I would love to get the GoW limited edition Pro, but it's not on sale, and still have to wait a month.

[Omegaice]

Originally Posted by agoofykindasuperman

My PS4 was stolen a couple weeks ago during a break-in, so am going to pick up a Pro now. The bundles with Pro are on $50 off right now and include Far Cry 5 which I intend to sell to recoup some of the cost. But I can also get the Star Wars Battlefront II limited edition with the extra game, however I would sell that game too, (but might be hard given it's unpopularity) and I'm not sold on the design. I'm not a Star Wars fan at all so the look of the console and controller (and the fact it says STAR WARS) right on the front make me second guess buying that one.

I would love to get the GoW limited edition Pro, but it's not on sale, and still have to wait a month.

Sorry to hear about that break-in!