The PlayStation 4 Slim and PlayStation 4 Pro are coming, but do you need them?
Following weeks of rumors, leaks, and secondhand reports from friends of friends, Sony took today's press conference in New York City to finally confirm the existence of a slim model PlayStation 4 and an updated 4K friendly version of the console.
First up is the PlayStation 4 Slim. Sony didn't spend much time focusing on this particular model, but they did reveal that the Slim will be a smaller version of the current PlayStation 4 that will largely operate the same as that system currently does outside of a few minor adjustments to the hardware layout (such as new disc and power buttons) and a slightly more quiet system fan. The PlayStation 4 Slim will be available for $299 on September 15th.
Much of the press conference was devoted to detailing what had previously been referred to as the PlayStation 4 Neo but has now officially been dubbed the PlayStation 4 Pro. This is, in many ways, Sony's response to the Xbox One S, as it enhances the PlayStation 4's ability to display 4K visuals across games and streaming content.
The long and short of the benefits of the PlayStation 4 Pro is that it will allow for developers to design their games with full HDR and 4K capabilities in mind. Certain upcoming titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Insomniac's Spider-Man, and Days Gone are already being developed to take advantage of these capabilities, and Activision confirmed at the conference that Infinite Warfare and Black Ops 3 are going to be HDR and 4K compatible for PlayStation 4 Pro on day one.
Additionally, Sony has confirmed that Netflix will be launching a new streaming app for the PlayStation 4 Pro that will add over 600 hours of 4K content to the service for PlayStation 4 Pro users to enjoy. Sony will be rolling out a firmware update that will allow for certain HDR capabilities for all models of PlayStation 4, but only the Pro will be able to take full advantage of these capabilities.
The PlayStation 4 Pro will launch with a 1 TB hard drive on November 10th for $399.
Longer thoughts may be coming later, but the general message of this conference as it concerns the PlayStation 4 Pro is that unless you have a pretty high-end 4K television, there really isn't any reason to purchase the PlayStation 4 Pro at the moment, as the only things it introduces are all dependent on such a device. As for the Slim, it's a competitively priced version of the current PS4 model that will likely appeal to anyone who doesn't currently own the system.
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