PlayStation Meeting 2016 — Time to Go PlayStation 4 Pro

Before today’s PlayStation Meeting, anyone who follows gaming news could tell you what info would be shared today. It shows how difficult it is for organizations to keep secrets, and because of that, one of the largest surprises ended up being how long Sony kept mum about these developments. Details of the (tentatively named — keep reading) PlayStation 4 Neo were shared well before even their E3 2016 conference, which forced them to announce it beforehand. And somehow, a few slim PlayStation 4 models were released among the public, and people were able to see its internal and external aesthetics.

That’s why part of the focus of this showcase was to demonstrate what the new system could do, along with precisely how and when consumers could get their hands on both offerings.

This started with Sony’s Andrew House officially announcing the slim PS4, to no one’s surprise. It’s the same as the standard PS4 system, albeit with smaller components and potentially quieter moving parts. It will release in all markets on September 15th for $299, or at an equivalent to that price depending on where you’re located. The price isn’t bad, but could have been more mass market friendly if they went for the $249 stunner. But given how well PS4s are selling, perhaps they can get a larger profit from this.

Of course, by far the largest focus was on the PlayStation 4 Neo. Wait, that’s actually the PlayStation 4 Pro, since it’s not like they left the PlayStation VR’s name Morpheus. PlayStation 4 architect Mark Cerny (who sadly doesn’t have the charisma for this despite his respectable intelligence) confirmed what many rumors had stated: The system will be capable of outputting content at 4K resolutions, and simultaneous HDR (High Dynamic Range) rendering for its graphics. It will also have an upgraded GPU and increased clock rate, and arrive with a 1TB hard drive. It’s also more capable of rendering graphics and achieving better performance through PSVR.

That’s nice, but notice how they were hesitant to give numbers for its hardware features at the actual Meeting. There was no equivalent to the 8GB of GDDR5 ram bombshell from the 2013 PS4 unveil. It means all those rumors about it being less powerful than Microsoft’s Scorpio are accurate, though at least this will arrive earlier. The specs sheet also provides exactly the same details that were leaked earlier in the year, with few minor surprises.

Sony also showed off how much prettier graphics for individual games will be on the system, which included recently released titles like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Uncharted 4, and upcoming ones like Insomniac’s new Spider-Man title, Days Gone, Watch Dogs 2, and For Honor. These were nothing special for some of us, as many of the differences were tough to see without a high-tech display capable of outputting 4K resolution and HDR.

Some visible differences could be seen in some other upcoming games shown, though they still weren’t as pronounced as they could be without the aforementioned display. Horizon Zero Dawn still looks great, though no new gameplay features were shown for anyone who’s kept up with the game — including its video and article features from Game Informer. The same applies to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, though it’s laudable that it looks much different from previous installments, showing Activision and their developers’ willingness to innovate in terms of its looks. The final big gaming showcase was for Mass Effect Andromeda, marking the first time EA and Bioware have provided an extended look at raw gameplay, and at the unlikeliest place. Unfortunately, not all of its gameplay features were shown, as the focus was on discovery, but it looks pretty.

Outside the games, a new Netflix app capable of outputting HDR and 4K resolutions will arrive sometime around the Pro’s launch, and a new YouTube app with similar capabilities will follow. As it turns out, streaming is where you’ll need to get your 4K/HDR video fix, since the PS4 Pro won’t support Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. Given how this device is being aimed towards tech enthusiasts, this is a significant missed opportunity for Sony, especially considering the recently released Xbox One S and aforementioned upcoming Scorpio can play them.

In better news, all PS4s will be made HDR-capable through a firmware upgrade next week. If you have an HDR-capable TV, you can get that on your current model. You’ll also need it to see all the trailers showing the crisp quality of games running on the Pro they’ll have for people to download from the PlayStation Store.

Sony ended the meeting by saying the system will release on November 10th for $399. That’s much earlier than some expected, particularly those who figured they would wait until March next year. The price, however, is exactly the “OK” spot many analysts thought they’d land on; though they also expected a better showcase of its capabilities here, and Ultra HD Blu-ray support.

The conference ended on an anticlimactic note, as it was devoid of surprises despite the level of info leaked beforehand. The biggest one, of course, was the Pro’s lack of playing UHD Blu-rays, which could be added in another upgraded console. Sony’s going to get some bad press for a while, thanks to this showing and PlayStation Plus subscription price hike happening in two weeks. Good thing they have a chance to counter that with next week’s Tokyo Game Show conference, assuming it’s worthwhile.

If you want to watch the entire PlayStation Meeting presentation, feel free to do so here.