PlayStation 4 Pro games look amazing, but don’t expect real 4K
The PlayStation 4 Pro is undoubtedly the most powerful game console I’ve ever seen. Its GPU (powered by AMD’s new Polaris technology) is more than twice as fast as the original PS4, and it sports a faster clock speed as well. But while Sony is marketing it as the ideal console for 4K gaming, the truth is a bit more complicated. Rendering 4K games is something that’s still tough for high-end PC gaming rigs today. So Sony is giving developers a variety of ways to make their games look better than standard 1080p titles on the PS4, even if they can’t quite reach 4K.
According to Peter Wyse, SVP of production and development at Warner Bros. Interactive, there are two optimized rendering options available to PS4 Pro developers. “Resolution mode” made lets them lock games into a resolution beyond 1080p (I’ve found 1440p works well in PC gaming). “Quality mode,” on the other hand, dynamically scales the resolution depending on the game is performing. Wyse says you can expect resolutions that are up to 90 percent close to 4K in that mode.
Shadow of Mordor, a WB title, looked great on the PS4 Pro, even though it wasn’t running completely in 4K. There was more detail in player outfits and the environment, and on the whole it looked just as good as it does on a powerful PC. The same was true for Rise of the Tomb Raider — at one point, I could make out the plumage of a bird sitting on a cliffside. Most players likely won’t notice if PS4 Pro titles don’t reach 4K completely, so long as the results they’re seeing look better than the standard PS4.
To be clear, true 4K rendering is possible as well on the PS4 Pro, but it looks like we’ll only see it on some titles. Bethesda has the Elder Scrolls Online actually running 4K, but that’s a game that also benefits from an engine that scales across a wide variety of PC hardware, from integrated laptop graphics to powerful GPUs. And graphically it’s not nearly as detailed as most AAA games. According to Matthew Firor, the game’s director, it didn’t take much effort to get it up and running on the PS4 Pro. And since he’s mainly been developing for the PC, his team is used to creating games that scale with incremental hardware upgrades.
Here’s the thing gamers will have to get used to: 4K doesn’t matter as much as you think. The PS4 Pro’s real power will be in running games higher than 1080p and together with high-dynamic range lighting. (Sony is also making HDR available to all PS4 models via a firmware update.) The higher resolutions will make things look sharper and more detailed overall, while the HDR lighting will give bright scenes and shadows more depth. Both The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 looked strikingly different on the PS4 Pro, thanks to the graphical upgrades. (Though Naughty Dog might have downplayed just how good the games looked on the previous hardware to make the new gear seem better.)
Compared to the Xbox One S, which is basically just upscaling existing games, the PS4 Pro is effectively a “4K gaming” machine. And unfortunately for Microsoft, it won’t have a real 4K competitor until Project Scorpio debuts next year.
Nintendo loses a little piece of its identity with ‘Super Mario Run’
Today, Nintendo announced Super Mario is going mobile — Super Mario Run will launch on iOS and Android before the end of the year. We knew the company was making more content for smartphones, but for long-time Nintendo fans, this announcement still feels like a shock. For years, Satoru Iwata rallied hard against bringing Nintendo characters to the small screen. “If we did this,” he said in 2011, “Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo.” The company’s leader was adamant: putting Mario on mobile would make good short-term profits, but would ultimately devalue the property. Now that it’s here, we have to wonder — is Nintendo still Nintendo?
The answer to that question might lie in Nintendo’s motivation in taking Mario to iOS. At the 2011 Game Developers Conference, Iwata described Nintendo as a company that makes “platforms designed to demonstrate the high value of high-quality video game software.” Like the seal on your old NES cartridge says, Nintendo means quality. Can that quality persist on a mobile device? At the time, Iwata didn’t think so. “These platforms have no motivation to maintain the high value of video game software.”
On the other hand, innovation is core to Nintendo’s identity. Last year, Iwata told TIME that company’s philosophy is rooted in being unique and different. “That philosophy has been passed down to us,” he said. “For us to be able to do something unique that is different from others, being able to design the hardware in order to create unique software experiences gives us the best option.”
He was reaffirming the company’s focus on building dedicated console hardware — but in almost the same breath he praised smartphones as a platform for innovation, describing the mobile market as an opportunity to bridge the gap between casual gamers and Nintendo’s dedicated game console. Again, the idea was focused on high-quality, innovative games “We will be able to deliver unique experiences to the users of smart devices,” he concluded.
So, let’s recap: Nintendo is quality. Nintendo is innovation. Will Super Mario Run hold enough value in either to keep Nintendo… Nintendo? Without actually playing the unreleased game it’s hard to tell for sure, but at a glance, it fails on at least one count — innovation. Super Mario Run looks fun. It looks well made. It has good graphics and might have some fun hooks to keep players interested. Buyers even get the whole game at once: Nintendo hasn’t priced it yet, but says there are no in-app purchases to nickle and dime you. Sadly, none of that is innovative. Super Mario Run is essentially an perpetual runner game — a title where the main character always moves forward, no matter what. There are hundreds of those.
This puts Mario in good mobile company, but it makes Nintendo’s biggest property a me-too game. Games like Canabalt, Temple Run, Subway Surfers and Jetpack Joyride have already saturated the mobile market with high quality runner experiences. Even Mario’s long-time rival has one: Sonic Dash. Mario’s running down a road well travelled.
We could give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt and assume Super Mario Run will be a high-quality representation of a well tread genre — but it’s hard to tell how innovative it really is. Nintendo says players will be able to change Mario’s direction and perform other movements by hitting special blocks, and i’s levels certainly look more complicated than what you get in your average procedurally generated endless runner title. It’s possible the company could be preparing to launch the magnum opus of running games — the best possible use of the genre. That would be at least a little innovative, if a little less so than we’re used to from Nintendo.
The PlayStation 4 Pro vs. the original PS4: What’s changed?
With only three years since the release of the PlayStation 4, Sony isn’t quite ready to give us a completely new console. But while it did unveil a new slim redesign, there’s also the PlayStation 4 Pro: Not quite 4K gaming, but the new HDR looks good enough to give players a taste of the next generation. We’ve pitted the stats of the new systems up against the OG PS4 to see how far we’ve come in the past few years.
PlayStation 4 Pro
PlayStation 4 Slim
PlayStation 4 (2013)
Price
$399
$299
starts at $349 (originally $399)
Dimensions
295 x 327 x 55mm (11.61 x 12.87 x 2.17 inches)
265 x 288 x 39mm (10.43 x 11.34 x 1.54 inches)
275.1 x 305.1 x 53.1mm (10.83 x 12.01 x 2.09 inches)
Weight
3.3kg (7.28 pounds)
2.1kg (4.63 pounds)
2.8kg (6.17 pounds)
Output resolution
480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K (video only), HDR
480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K (video only)
480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K (video only)
CPU
AMD Jaguar x86-64, 8-core
AMD Jaguar x86-64, 8-core
AMD Jaguar x86-64, 8-core
GPU
AMD Radeon, 4.20 TFLOP
AMD Radeon, 1.84 TFLOP
AMD Radeon, 1.84 TFLOP
RAM
8GB
8GB
8GB
Internal storage
1TB
500GB / 1TB
500GB / 1TB
Physical media
Blu-ray, DVD
Blu-ray, DVD
Blu-ray, DVD
WiFi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
802.11 b/g/n
Wired network
10/100/1000 Ethernet
10/100/1000 Ethernet
10/100/1000 Ethernet
Bluetooth
v4.0
v4.0
v2.1
Ports
USB 3.0 (x3), HDMI 2.0a, S/PDIF
USB 3.0 (x2), HDMI 2.0a
USB 3.0 (x2), HDMI 1.4, S/PDIF
Controller
DualShock 4
DualShock 4
DualShock 4
While we won’t have a full review until the systems are released in the coming weeks, stay tuned for further impressions of the PS4 Pro here on Engadget.
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
Watch today’s PlayStation Meeting right here!
It only took about six months, but we’re (hopefully) finally going to get all of the details possible about the PlayStation Neo today. Will it include an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive like the Xbox One S? How much will it cost? Oh, right, updates about the PlayStation 4 Slim are all but guaranteed today too. And guess what? You can follow along with all the action right here, both with our liveblog and the Twitch player embedded below!
Watch live video from PlayStation on http://www.twitch.tv
Source: PlayStation (Twitch)
Live from Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro event
Apple isn’t the only big tech company making headlines today: Sony is also set to divulge its next console plans at its PlayStation event in NYC. While the company hasn’t revealed any specifics yet, we’re expecting to get a look at the PlayStation 4 Neo, its faster, 4K-ready PS4 follow-up. And of course, the thinner PS4 Slim will likely make an appearance as well, after being unceremoniously leaked over the past few weeks.
Sony confirmed the existence of the PS4 Neo earlier this year, but it avoided talk of the new console at E3. From the little we do know, it will be more powerful than the current model and output both games and video in 4K. Games will likely be rendered at a higher resolution than 1080p, though we’re not expecting full 4K rendering, since that’s still tough for powerful gaming PCs to accomplish today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 4K Blu-ray in the Neo as well, since the Xbox One S also supports it (and it’s Sony’s format, after all).
As for the PS4 Slim, the leaks revealed only minor differences, like the removal of the optical audio port and direct controller communication when connected over USB. It’ll be interesting to see how Sony prices the Slim, as well as if it’ll lead to discounts on existing PS4 models.
Sony’s PlayStation event will kick off at 3 PM Eastern, check back here for live coverage as things kick off.
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
The PS4 Slim hits shelves on September 15th for $300
Sony isn’t done with the PlayStation 4. The company today revealed the PS4 Slim, a thinner version of its latest console that’s been lurking around the rumor mill for months now. The Slim lands on September 15th for $300/£259.
The PS4 Slim features all the guts of a standard PS4 plus a few cosmetic and convenience upgrades, including a lightbar at the top, more space between the front-facing USB ports and the removal of the optical port. The console is about 30 percent smaller than the standard PS4, which came out in 2013, and it plays all existing PS4 games.
We recently re-reviewed the PS4 and found it to be “the best console experience money can buy,” which bodes well for the PS4 Slim — and the PS4 Pro (formerly the Neo), a new and more powerful version of Sony’s latest console.
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
Sony’s 4K game console is called PlayStation 4 Pro
Sony’s 4K PlayStation 4 upgrade has been something of an open secret since before E3, but today the company officially unveiled its high end game console. It’s called PlayStation 4 Pro — and it’ll be available on November 10th for $399/£349. It boasts an upgraded, x86-64 “Jaguar” AMD CPU with 8 cores, a 4.2 teraflop AMD Radeon GPU, three USB ports and a 1TB HDD. Sony say’s it’s twice as fast as the regular PS4, and, of course, it’s designed specifically for UHD TVs and PlayStation VR.
PlayStation’s Andrew House says the refresh has been a long time coming. “Display technology offers so much potential if there is content to leverage what’s now possible,” he said. “With PlayStation 4, we’re pretty much maxing out what 1080p TVs can do with most games.” Hence, the creation of the PS4 Pro. This is a console designed for the kind of 4K resolutions and HDR that so-called “conventional TVs” simply can’t display. So, what does a 4K PlayStation 4 game look like? Sony brought examples.
PlayStation lead system architect Mark Cerny used footage from Rise of the Tomb Raider, Insomniac’s upcoming Spider-Man game and Watch Dogs 2 to show how the upgraded console can give exiting games a huge visual shot in the arm. One demo showed mountain top view of a city blown out on a typical TV, but lush with color on an HDR display powered by the PlayStation Pro. A quick look at Day’s Gone with and without HDR features revealed a scene with a much wider color range and more realistic shadows.
“But you don’t need a 4K TV or HDR TV to experience the benefit of PS4 pro,” Cerny explained. Even on a standard HD TV, games will look better on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Super-sampling and advanced anti-aliasing will take the jagged edge off of games that are pushing the standard hardware to its limits. Even at 1080p, games will feature better reflections and brighter colors. Older titles like Paragon, Infamous First Light and Shadow of Mordor are all scheduled to receive high-fidelity graphics patches too, in what Cerny calls “forward compatibility.”
Naturally, the PlayStation Pro will be a boon for consumers who buy into PSVR this October: Sony says virtual reality games played on the new hardware could potentially look crisper, have more detailed special effects and, best of all, run at higher framerates. Specifically, Cerny said FarPoint, Sony’s upcoming VR shooter, will feature about twice as much detail on the PS4 Pro vs the standard hardware.
Finally, Sony announced that 4K and HDR video content will be available on the upgraded console as well, specifically calling out a partnership with Netflix to develop a 4K streaming app for the PlayStation 4 Pro.
As the event wrapped up, House returned to reveal the new PlayStation line up: a slimmer PS4 for a cool $299, or a thicker, more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro for $399. That slimmer PS4 will hit stores next week — but folks with 4K televisions at home will have to wait until November 10th for the Pro. Still, that’s a lot sooner than Microsoft’s Project Scorpio is set to debut. And no, Microsoft, the Xbox One S isn’t the same thing.
Sony will upgrade all PS4s with HDR
At today’s announcement of two new PlayStation 4 consoles, Sony had news for existing owners too: a firmware update will make every PS4 (going back to the launch models) ready for HDR video. There weren’t a lot of specifics on what exactly what your console will support, but we’ll find out more info as it becomes available. Sony showed off some sweet gaming demos with the PS4 Pro showing what HDR can do, but we’ll have to see how well older hardware supports the feature, or if it’s only for video streams.
Just announced: every PS4 will be HDR compatible
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 7, 2016
HDR is coming to all 40 million existing #PS4 users via a firmware update next week. Woo! #PlayStationMeeting
— PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) September 7, 2016
Of course, the big takeaway Sony is likely looking for is that gamers won’t need to buy a new console for demo material. You’ll still need a new HDR-ready TV, but if it means you don’t also buy an Xbox One S then it helps keep more gamers on the PlayStation side of the line.
Update: The press release confirms HDR support for all PlayStation 4s, but does not go into any further detail about what games or movies that may impact.
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
PlayStation 4 will play Netflix and YouTube videos in HDR
Sony made much ado over high dynamic range imagery for gaming on the PlayStation 4 Pro at its September event, but don’t worry — it knows you want to watch HDR videos, too. The console maker announced that both Netflix and YouTube are making new apps that should play HDR videos on all PS4 models. You’ll need a Pro to play videos from either service in 4K, alas, but this still means that you’ll get richer colors when you’re watching Luke Cage and other supporting shows. At least the Netflix app will be available around the time of the PS4 Pro’s November launch, so you’ll have a way to show off your HDR-capable TV in the near future.
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
The PlayStation 4 Pro is not an Ultra HD Blu-ray player
During today’s announcement of the new PS4 Pro, we heard a lot about the enhancements offered by 4K and HDR, but there was one thing not mentioned: Ultra HD Blu-ray. Our reporters at the event asked and confirmed there is not an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive in the new console, although it will include 4K and HDR apps from Netflix and YouTube.
We’re waiting for the spec sheets to find out everything (update: here it is, and it confirms only Blu-ray and DVD support), but those who prefer archival copies, demand the best in uncompressed video or just don’t have an unlimited internet connection could be in for a disappointment. Sony did mention that even older PS4 consoles would be upgraded with HDR, and specifically highlighted the Ultra HD video apps built into the Pro.
It’s not clear exactly what explains the omission, although a BBC reporter paraphrased Sony’s response as wanting to focus on games. It may be that to get the console out by this holiday season with upgraded graphics and storage for $399, something had to be cut. Another thought is that Sony has just fallen out of love with physical media. It wouldn’t be alone in that feeling, but considering the deep historical ties between the PS2 and DVD, the PS3 and Blu-ray, and even the PS4 with physical discs for gaming, it’s a surprising turn.
As it is, the capability to play 4K movies from discs is one thing Microsoft can claim as an advantage over Sony with its Xbox One S. Of course, if the PlayStation folks change their mind, then maybe Microsoft has a few old HD DVD shells laying around that they can use for an add-on?
Find all the news from Sony’s big PlayStation event right here.
Source: Sony (PRNewswire)
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