Sony threw down the gauntlet in a big way yesterday with the announcement
of their pending Playstation Pro system. The powerful and fast upgraded
version of the Playstation 4 will come with the ability to reach 4K
graphics on new games as well as on streaming content and will also
enhance graphics on other titles as well.
As a fan of the Playstation franchise, I was all set to go on Amazon and
pre-order the unit as I did with the PS 4, Playstation VR, and other
systems in the past, but I could not bring myself to make the leap. The
$399 price tag was reasonable enough although I did think after laying out
the cash for a PS 4 at launch, is it too soon to be paying for another
system.
What did it for me was the entire notion of 4K. I wrote an article a
little over a year ago asking if 4K would be the new battleground for
companies, and I was flamed harshly by many readers that said it is not
possible or cost effective to do 4K gaming on a console.
Well a year later, here we are. What did it for me was the thought that we would need to purchase a 4K television to go with it. We have been very happy with
the HDTV sets we have in our home, and the fact that very few providers
broadcast in 4K makes me think twice, even if we can get a set under
$600.00.
Essentially I am looking at close to $1000 in outlay for a Playstation Pro and a 4K television.
Combine this with the fact that all pending games will still run on my
current PS 4 and the fact that my Playstation VR will run on the PS4 as
well, it made me think that perhaps this is the time to wait and see rather than rush into the new system.
I have no doubt that games will look better, run faster, and that the VR
experience will be better on the Playstation Pro, but how much better at
launch is my question. I remember how with the Playstation 3 and 4 it took
developers a couple of years to really learn how to program for the system
and as such the best stuff came later, not at launch.
With a 4K system, it may be prudent to wait for more games designed for 4K
to appear as well as for 4K television stations to become more common
before making the leap as by then, the system will likely be cheaper as
will the television sets. I think I will sit this one out and revisit it the same time next year, unless something radically different happens to change my mind. I wonder how many other PS4 owners may do the same.
