PS4 Pro... worth it at 1080p?

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MachoFantastico

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Hi folks,

So my launch PS4 isn't doing all that well these days and with some games struggling on the base PS4 I've been thinking about upgrading to a Pro recently for a better experience with the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 and other titles. Now I don't own a 4KTV so I'd be gaming at 1080p and have heard some positives regarding the benefits of using a PS4 Pro at 1080p. Thing is I wanted to know how others have got on with upgrading to a PS4 Pro and if it was worth it?

Want some genuine opinions. I had considered the Xbox One X, but a lot of their exclusives are hitting PC and I already have a decent gaming computer so I'm not sure it'd be worth it whereas PS4 as a lot of exclusives still.

Thanks in advance.

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BoboBones

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#2  Edited By BoboBones

Yes. I’ve got a Pro, and a Xbox One X, and have only ever played at 1080p. I saw a bigger jump with the X, but the Pro has been totally worth the jump.

I got my OG Xbox One around launch, and sold it not long after to pay for PS4 games. parents got a X and Game Pass Ultimate as a late Birthday gift around E3, so I haven’t played a Xbox One in quite some time, but it’s been a fantastic experience. (It’s so quiet!)

Keep in mind that the new consoles will most likely feature backwards compatibility

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DodoBasse

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Isn't the dirty secret of 4k that nothing really handles it well yet?

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gkhan

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If you can swing it, I'd say it's worth it. I don't regret the purchase.

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FacelessVixen

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In Dad of Boy, prioritizing frame rate over the resolution is a pretty stark difference, and I'll go with the higher frame rate every time, along with generally having a more stable and consistent frame rate with most games.

And yeah, new consoles are coming. But it'll be over a year before they'll hit retail, so there's that to consider; $400 for a year or just hold on to it for new tech.

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csl316

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I got a Pro when I had a 720p TV a while back, and the performance boosts were still worth it for me at the time.

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NTM

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#7  Edited By NTM

Oh, before making the jump, it's also worth trying to clean your system cache to see if that's the issue with performance in games.

Maybe. I'm not sure I would make the jump to a Pro if I was still using a 1080p screen. I have a 4k TV now and although I have but have not experienced the Pro on a 1080p, when I got the X I was still using a 1080p screen, and the jump in resolution was nice for games that were originally 900p then enhanced, like Far Cry 5, or games that used dynamic resolutions like Doom and Halo 5. On the Pro, the dynamic res for Spider-Man being output to a full, consistent 1080p will be nice. Plus, there is the loading/frame rate too which can be beneficial.

The biggest thing I noticed was resolution when I jumped to the enhanced consoles. That said, consider getting a good (albeit cheap) 4k TV to get the most out of it at some point soon. I have the TCL 6 series and it's awesome, even though not perfect. I would also say that the more time you wait, the less likely you should get an enhanced console. I was already hesitant about getting the X and Pro because of next-gen, but I don't regret getting them when I did. Do it sooner rather than later if you're going to do it. Oh, and you'll get the benefit of a much quieter console which is great.

Some early adopters of the Pro complained about the Pro's fan, but later models, like the one I got and I presume you'll buy is good. You'll still get enhancements for sure when on a 1080p screen, so I say go for it! Just know that it'll probably feel soon after that you'll be wanting to get a PS5. To really determine if it's worth the jump though, you need to figure out what games you're excited to see in the move and whether they're enhanced enough over the base console. Since I got it when I had a 4k HDR screen, there were a bunch of games I was excited to see in new ways.

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deactivated-61665c8292280

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@machofantastico I'm of two minds regarding the Playstation 4 Pro. This is mostly based on your second to last paragraph, which emphasizes your interest in the platform's exclusives.

Mind 1: Sony has committed to ensuring most, if not all, of their exclusive titles run really well and look extremely nice on base hardware. Games like Spider-Man, for instance, showcase only extremely subtle differences between the Pro platform and base hardware. While base-level PS4 consoles are beginning to show some serious difficulty running intensive multi-platform games (Control, Red Dead Redemption 2), the original model is still a fine place to enjoy Sony's roster of exclusive titles.

Mind 2: As a Pro owner playing on a 1080p display, I most appreciate the relative modularity of the PS4 Pro experience. Even with first-party titles like God of War, the PS4 Pro gives players access to variable performance options. Boosted framerate or enhanced textures. The PS4 Pro also offers a "Boost Mode" that purportedly improves the experience of playing games published earlier in the console's life cycle. It's a case-by-case, game-by-game decision for me. But simply having the choice is a luxury I don't take for granted. And even on a 1080p display, the changes are are noticeable.

I would recommend a Pro to anyone looking to buy a PS4.

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Brackstone

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So I upgraded to a PS4 Pro roughly this time last year, I only play at 1080p. I'd say it's been worth it, most games run smoothly and look clearer. The biggest difference I noticed was with Black Ops 4 and Blackout. I played the beta on the base one and the release game on the Pro, and the image quality and framerate stability were much, much better on the pro. On a base PS4 the resolution was muddy enough that it made long range sniping in Blackout more of a challenge than it should have been. Past that, I knew there were several upcoming big games I'd want to play at release, and several I had in my backlog that I knew benefited from the Pro. Red Dead 2 was smooth as silk, for example. I got one of the ones with good fans apparently, you can look up the product codes to see which ones are the good ones, I want to say it either started with the Spiderman ones or were just after those ones in terms of model number. It still revs up like a jet engine sometimes (mostly in MK11 for whatever reason), but I'd put that on some games having poor optimization that makes it spike, most of the time it's as quiet or quieter than the base one.

However, I got mine a year ago, as we get closer to new consoles, with backwards compatibility being a common rumor, I'm not so sure. The PS5 will be out in the next 2 years (not confirmed of course but come on), possibly within the next year. I'm the type of person that doesn't buy launch consoles, I wait a bit, so I knew I'd get a good 3-4 years out of the pro at least, and this was before the PS5 backwards compatibility rumours really started picking up steam. Not to mention I was able to get a brand new one and it only cost me $100 out of pocket once I sold my base PS4, so it was a great deal, I probably wouldn't have done it if it cost me any more than $150 out of pocket.

So I'd say you ought to ask yourself a few questions. Are you going to buy a PS5 at launch? Are you an early adopter for new consoles? Are there upcoming games you want to make sure run well (Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding) that you can't play on your PC? Or are there PS4 games in your backlog that would benefit from the upgrade, like Red Dead?

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north6

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#10  Edited By north6

If you've managed to avoid it so far, its hard to argue going for a ps4 pro at this stage in the lifecycle, especially with 1080p. Only if you find a great deal, otherwise no. Pro seems like its due for a price drop as well.

Also - if you're just looking at reducing load times, get a cheaper hybrid ssd drive if you haven't already.

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MachoFantastico

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Thanks everyone for the advice. At the moment I'm still ensure. I looked towards the Pro for the best performance possible from PS4 exclusives and the likes of Red Dead 2 not available on PC. I have noticed how much the base PS4 struggles these days and even Digital Foundry recommend the Pro over the base for 1080p these days.