Sony unveils PlayStation 4 Pro which will hit store shelves November 10 (Photo : Getty Images/ Brad Barket)
Sony has officially launched the next big iteration of the PlayStation 4. The console - codenamed Neo, upgrades the three-year-old PS4 hardware with better graphics, a faster processor and support for 4K gaming, for the first time on any mainstream console. PS4 console features were discussed by the company in brief just ahead of E3 in June.
The console which will be launched in November 10th, will cost $399 and it is intended to be sold alongside the base PS4 instead of replacing it, with new games still accessible on the older hardware. Back in March, the existence of Pro, formerly called Neo, was first reported, The Verge reported.
Sony Interactive Entertainment took the stage at the PlayStation Theater in Manhattan just hours after the Apple one, to talk about some of the major upgrades it is making with the PlayStation 4 Pro. With this system, players will be able to watch videos using high dynamic range (HDR), a TV technology that makes videos of a much higher quality.
According to Independent, Sony is enabling publishers to produce such high quality games. On stage, Mark Cerny, the chief architect for the PS4, showed off games like "For Honor" and "Spider-Man" running on the PS4 Pro. Cerny pointed out that the PS4 Pro was able to pull new detail out of the scenes from these games, despite been developed for the original PS4.
He went on to say that selected PS4 games will have improved graphics to take full advantage of the PS4 Pro console. Titles like "Modern Warfare: Remastered" and "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" will be able to support PS4 Pro's extra features out of the box on day one, while "FIFA 16" and "Battlefield 1" will be supported later this year, and "Mass Effect: Andromeda," next year.
At the same New York event, Sony emphasized that the games looked more realistic and detailed thanks to the upgraded console. Also, the firm released a slimmed down version of the PS4. A console with same technology as the existing one but in a much smaller body.
The slimmer PS 4 is 16% lighter, 30% smaller and 28% more power efficient and it will go on sale for 299 US dollars (£224), with the Pro at 399 US dollars (£299).
Sony boosted the clock rate for the new PS4 Pro and the upgraded GPU that powers the PS4 Pro so that it can output 4K and HDR video. PS4 Pro will also come with a 1TB hard drive. Cerny also added that PS4 Pro is not intended to blur the line between console generations. Instead, the vision is to take the PS4 experience to extraordinary new levels.
PS4 Pro will also make serious improvements for the PlayStation VR experience according to Cerny. Developers will be able to up the frame rate, to increase the crispness of scenes and more. YouTube and Netflix are also developing new apps specifically for the PS4 Pro.
The launch of the two consoles will be fierce opposition for Microsoft's new slimmer Xbox One S and its high-powered Project Scorpio which will similarly add 4K support and more power. Microsoft is expected to launch Scorpio at the end of next year.
Watch a video of PS4 Pro with 4K HDR gaming here:
