Hey gang,

So, as we all know, RDR is a mere 2 weeks away. From what I've seen, it's looking incredible, and I wanna get in on this at the best it can possibly be. At the moment, I have the white Destiny 1 Special Edition PS4 standard, and it's been fantastic. But I'm really eager to get in on a Pro. The better performance, resolution, framerate, and the ability to play at 4K are VERY appealing.

I bought a 4K TV about 6 weeks ago, and it's awesome. I haven't seen any 4K content on it so far (as I'm sure the PS4 OG can't output 4K?), but the 1080p stuff looks stunning. I'm consistently blown away by how good Spider-man looks so far. It's coming up on that Horizon level of "holy fuck this looks good" quality.

So I'm thinking about going up to the Pro. I have a pretty large amount of money saved that isn't going anywhere, it's just kinda...sitting there. I figure I'm at a good point in my life, so why not treat myself to something I already spend a lot of time with. I'll be selling off my OG PS4 once I do the system transfer, and this is the model I'm looking at for the upgrade.

Does anyone have anything to say? Should I? Shouldn't I? What have you played on the Pro that shows off the hardware? IS there anything coming out that I might have missed that you think might show it off pretty well?

I'm actually in the same boat but I'm doing it more of a precaution than anything else. I'm kind of worried that on my old ass base PS4 I got with the launch of Destiny the performance in RDR2 is going to be subpar. There have been some games in the past that have not ran especially well, but first party stuff has always been fine - never noticed any hiccups in God of War but Assassins Creed Origins had a ton of framerate drops for me and some combat scenarios just felt plain bad due to the sluggishness of it all. Now Rockstar usually make pretty well optimized games because they spend a lot of time on them (you'd be amazed what an unlimited budget and development time can do for a game) but some of the videos make it look just too good to run well on old hardware.

So to piggyback on the original question, is there any real difference between the PRO's or is the harddrive size the only real differentiation? For a minute there I considered just getting an XB1-X but ehh.. as much as I'm cheering for Microsoft internally because I think their business strategy and everything is way better than what Sony is offering at the moment.. you can't hide the fact that their first party output hasn't been all that great and most first party exclusives in the past years that I've been either excited about or played and enjoy were on PS4. Can't really think of a single game that passed me by on XB1 ..maybe Sunset Overdrive but I'm not losing too much sleep over that.

When it comes to RDR 2, they still haven’t specified how the Pro (or X) version will differ from the base platform. I’d assume it’s sharper visuals and a steady 30 framerate without the occasional hiccups on the base PS4. I imagine that we’ll hear about it this week, because we only have two weeks to go.

I’ve listed my Pro experiences in various threads before. If you haven’t played God of War, then that is an obvious showpiece on a 4K HDR telly. Hitman looks pretty good too, actually, though I gotta hand it to X in this case, because of it’s solid 60 performance mode in contrast to Pro’s unlocked framerate bouncing between 40-60. I imagine that Hitman 2 will look gorgeous as well. Lost Legacy is a looker too.

@humanity: The only difference between Pro models, besides the hd size, seem to be that newer ones are maybe less loud than the launch ones. It’ll still make noise, but maybe less so if you’re lucky.

I have an X so I'll be getting the game on there. A PS4 Pro is something I am not yet sure if I really want. I mean, all my third party games will most likely now be on the X, so all I'd want the Pro for is the previous and future first party titles. Not only that gives me pause, but I'm hearing anywhere between 2019 (which I think is unlikely) to 2020 the PS5 is probably coming out which means there are only one or two years left of the system. One thing that makes me throw that 'downside' out is the fact that I could recuperate that money relatively soon after I get the system. There's no word yet, but it'd kind of suck too if the next-gen PlayStation console does back compat similar to how Xbox does it. I'm guessing you don't want the X because of the price? If that's the case and you want Red Dead Redemption 2 in 4K elsewhere, the PS4 Pro is what you want. Also, a lot of people say you want 4K TV's because of HDR, and although HDR is cool, I really do like the 4K aspect of it. It's kind of hard to want to go back to 1080p unless you absolutely have to. That said, some games in 1080p are better than others due to the anti-aliasing and stuff.

If you can afford it, I'd say do it. I made the leap from a launch day PS4 to the Pro earlier this year, specifically to enjoy God of War in all of its 4K shine.

I've been way more impressed than I thought I would be. The resolution jump was worth it alone - everything looks super-clean - but there are some really nice quality of life improvements too, from the increased hard drive space to a much quieter fan (though not everyone seems to be quite so lucky with that, apparently). Maybe I'm imagining it, but I've also thought that load times have been a little faster too.

The system transfer is really easy to do - took about an hour start to finish to port over my near full 500gb base model to the Pro, with no hiccups along the way.

All in all, if you're happy with a good (but not excessive) bump in performance along with making the most out of your TV, do it.

Edit: And yes, you're right, the base PS4 can't output at 4K. If you're liking Spidey and Horizon running at 1080, you're going to have a lot of fun with 4K.

One other piece of advice - it's worth finding a decent settings guide for colour, luminance, black levels etc. specifically for gaming (if you haven't already). My gut reaction was to slam everything on "BIG BRIGHT BOLD" mode but it actually looks way better when you go for a subtler mix. AV Forums have some really good tutorials.

I read this as upgrading to R2D2; and I couldn't have been more onboard. B28 or whatever he's called is a poor man's substitute.

Fyi that particular bundle of PS4 Pro is nothing special, it's simply the game bundled with the Pro console. But as a current owner of both the launch PS4 (with the glossy plastic hard drive panel), as well as a launch PS4 Pro, I'd say go for it! Also maybe do some more research into what the actual capabilities of the Pro are -- because mostly the PS4 Pro plays games at 1080p (upscaled/supersampled 1080p is... still 1080p in the end) at a more stabile frame rate (in most cases), in other cases it gives you the option of 1080p 60 fps or 4k 30 fps. As some other user here mentioned, it has not been specified yet what the case with RDR2 will be. In any case, it is an improvement. But I would personally say go for it anyway.

I'd at least consider getting a One X. If you're going to be spending the money anyway, the X is a better upgrade. Not that the Pro is bad by any means, but it's basically a 1st party Sony machine for me. Anything 3rd party I play on the X, both because it's usually higher resolution and because it's much quieter. If you're sold on the Playstation though, I think it's still a worthwhile upgrade if you already have a 4K TV.

I bought the God of War PS4 Pro bundle at the exact same time I upgraded from a 32" 1080p TV to a 65" 4K HDR TV, and don't regret a thing. If you have the money, you want a Pro, don't mind buying the same type of console twice, and you want Red Dead Redemption II, then I say treat yo self. If you don't have all four of those things, then I would say maybe not.

Sounds like an expensive upgrade for a single game before seeing what the actual benefits are going to be.

It's not really for a single game. Any game already in OPs library will run better, as will any purchases in the future.

I'd say go for it if you have the means.

As for ways to show it off, personally I found HDR had more impact than 4K. But that depends on your TV, and also not exclusive to the pro model. But yeah any first-party release should show it off pretty well.

If you want the best then you should get an X it has more terraflops. I have a pro and am happy with it but if I had to choose rn I would choose the X.

I bought the Spider-Man PS4 Pro (looks slick as hell) and a x900f last month, and then gave my OG PS4 to a friend who can't afford many systems or games. The 1-2 punch of experiencing HDR+4k for the first time is unbelievable. Made myself and someone else very happy.

I'd say if you got the expendable income, definitely go for it. Checkerboard rendering is incredible, games look very nice, even as a (mostly) PC user.

I say go for it! I've got the same one preordered. I can tell my rickety launch Ps4 is barely holding on.

I mean, if you want "the best it can possibly be", that would not be on the Pro, but on the Xbox One X. At least until/unless a PC or next gen version releases.

Unless you're really tied to the PS ecosystem Id consider getting an Xbox One X for all your third party needs on a 4k tv. Plus you get the bonus of being able to play the original Red Dead Redemption in 4k. If you're dead set on sticking to playstation though Id say go for it.

I absolutely would not recommend getting the Xbox One X over the PS4 Pro because the UI for Xbox is still god awful. I have an S and I honestly doubt the X is any better. Sony knows how to make a snappy UI.

I'm increasingly looking into buying a second hand Pro off eBay. Some of the deals are unbelievable. For the same price as a new one with RDR2, I can get deals like this or this

Seems like I could easily make at LEAST £50 back just by selling off the games that come with it!

I already made the upgrade for Red Dead (and other games in the future). For me, it's a frame rate thing. We've seen enough games that run poorly on base PS4s compared to pros (Last Guardian), and this generation still has a number of good games coming for it (Last of Us 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, Death Stranding Presumably) so I think it'll be worth it. I'm even noticing it in Black Ops 4, in Blackout the image is noticeably clearer than it was in the beta on a base PS4.

A tip for fellow Canadians, if you have a PC points card or Shoppers Optimum card, shoppers is the best place to buy consoles. They have days about once a month or so where you get 20x the points for regular purchases. For me, it worked out to an effective $150 off the newest version of the PS4 Pro, on top of however much I'll get for selling the PS4 I already have. It's a better deal than you'll get anywhere else, but it's somewhat unpredictable so you have to keep your eye out.

I'm in pretty much the same boat. Picked up a 4k tv a few weeks ago and I'm on the fence about a console upgrade. I've got the base model for PS4 and Xbox One, as well as a pretty modern PC with a 1070 in it. For most of my third party needs I'd go PC, but I was considering going with the X as it'll probably run RDR2 better. I'm gonna wait on the digital foundry comparison videos as well as some black Friday price leaks before I pull the trigger.

PS4 Pro just ordered! Payed £350 for a Pro with Fifa 19, and Elder Scrolls Online.

I'll sell Fifa to my brother for £40, and give ESO a go I guess! I wouldn't normally buy ESO, but if it's coming with the bundle, I'll give it a go! Now all I need to do is eBay Spiderman, Octopath and Mario Odyssey, which I anticipate will net me about £100 between them, then put my OG PS4 on when I've system transferred all my content over. I have a limited edition PS4, which I've seen others on eBay going for at LEAST £200, so I think I might just about break even on this Pro, all things considered.

Just pre-ordered RDR2 on Amazon too! I was gonna buy it digitally, because I was sure I wouldn't wanna sell it for a while, but it's obscenely priced compared to buying it on disc, so I guess I'll buy it on disc.

I saw a good bundle for XB1X with RDR2, Horizon 4 and Forza Motorsport 7 that I think I’m gonna end up getting. Might as well have both consoles and if I’m playing third party stuff I’ll take all the frames I can get.

If you can get some money for the old machine, a Pro is deffo worth it. I see you have already taken the plunge, I doubt you will regret it.

Hitman and The Witcher 3 blew me away after the upgrade, that is after I ironed out some initial set up goofs (like setting up the TV hdmi to accept 4k signal) Also W3 crashed like crazy but CD PR fixed that. Right now I am waiting for Hitman 2 and likely going for RDR2. Saving Amazing Spider-Man for Chrimbo.

I made the upgrade
I watched a 4K video and it blew my face off. Christ on a bike

All I can say right now is that RDR2 running 100% native 4k on an Xbox One X does look extremely good.

I need to stop the faint voice in the back of my head that asks to pull the trigger on a Xbox One X...

@wolfstein_3d: no u dont, embrace it

According to Digital Foundry, the framerate is rough in spots on the base xbox and ps4. On the pro and 1x it runs locked (mostly) at 30fps.

Another good reason to upgrade. Me personally, subpar framerates can ruin the experience.

Pulled the trigger on a PS4 Pro - as a main PC player I can justify finally adding a console and then it simply came down to the number of exclusives I am interested in between Sony and MS.

Even if that means I will have to deal with occasional frame drops and not the sharpest textures the overall package pushed me towards a PS4.

Gonna play on a base PS4 for now and maybe nab a pro around Black Friday. That digital foundry video makes me so tempted to go with an Xbox one x though..

Just here to recommend the Xbox one X for this. can't beat native 4K at a stable 30fps

Just watched the Digital Foundry comparison - kudos to Microsoft seeing it in native 4k at stead 30 frames is outstanding.

However as I don't have a 4k TV and also don't plan to replace my 1080p one anytime soon (simply don't watch much TV anymore) getting the X and a new TV just to experience RDR2 that way would be overkill.

I will probably connect my new console to my 1440p monitor anyhow, so the glorious 4k isn't much of a factor.

At the end it's the list of exclusives I wanna play at some point that made me buy a PS4 pro today.

Edit: Just found out the PS4 upscales the 1080p output to 1440p and does it apparently fairly bad - the Xbox One instead supports native 1440p output - might have to go the Xbox route I guess.