PS4 PRO and The Complicated Console Market

tfxodkmqigi5aplyz819.jpg

Following up on yesterday’s announcement of the Playstation 4 Pro edition, I wanted to write about and discuss some of the after-effects that this release is going to have on the console market in general.

After watching the conference yesterday, it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Not in the fact that the games look decidedly different, I have no complaints on visual aesthetic. Rather, I was particularly amused by the extent of over-explanation and bogged down information that had to be forced into our faces to differentiate and almost pitch WHY this system’s existence had to be justified.

I was also rather irked by the lovely little message I saw at the bottom of every PS4 demo. You may have caught a glimpse of it, and it is certainly something you will want to keep an eye out for:

CrxiUg9WcAA48Zx (1).jpg

We’re entering this weird middle ground now with consoles thanks to PS4 Pro, and the recently released Xbox One S. This weird, confusing space where games aren’t running on new gen hardware, but are still running on hardware that outperforms the original launch hardware only a couple years after release. This strange ecosystem that now has to separate itself from current hardware by showing every game we see from now on as running on the, “superior hardware,” as opposed to the old models.

Every game we see at any gaming conference now will most likely be showing the Pro version, leaving every early adopter to wonder, “What will it run like, look like, or even play like when I play it on my launch hardware?”

Now we live in a world where developers have to build their game even more times to get it working on old hardware, than make the shinier/faster versions for the newer hardware. As if the patching and DLC ecosystem wasn’t bloated in the first place we now face a future of even more patches, more bug-fixes, and more unneeded work down the line.

Assassins-Creed-Unity-Missing-Face-Bug.jpg.optimal.jpg

This push for middle ground hardware is not only confusing to the consumer, but fear inducing for the future of how we play games.

Upgraded hardware is nothing new. Phones, tablets, and PC’s in particular have been doing it for years. The issue I take with this mindset entering the console space however, is that consoles are not as vastly multimedia as the above hardware is.

Your phone has a multitude of applications, and I don’t mean that in terms of its app store. Phones communicate, play games, perform work activities, and serve hundreds upon hundreds of other options, as do PC’s and Tablets.

But a gaming device, plays games. It may have the bells and whistles to stream some media or play some movies, but its overall function is to play gaming media. Upgrading the hardware to this small degree and forcing this ecosystem onto the audience to not only confuse them, but divide them into two communities is asinine.

CrxplIeVYAApg87.jpg

I have to give Sony credit that all the hardware will play the same games. That fact alone is nice and helpful but the double edged sword is the fact that a majority of the games you will play will be inferior to the upgraded version that completely burns you if you’re one of the near 60-million people that bought a PS4 in the not even 3-years since it released.

We have all experienced this generation of games. Time and time again there have been a multitude of games that from launch have been near broken in terms of gameplay, from WatchDogs, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Battlefield 4, Halo MCC, and more. We’ve been burned by patches time and time again that have to fix the games that should have been ready to go on launch, and now we have to expect games to be DOUBLE-PATCHED to run the separate versions of the games on PS4? We have to trust that the developers aren’t going to focus resources on the nicer version of the game, or prioritize that build more over the now, “inferior version?”

This isn’t even in terms of visual aesthetic. It has been stated that PS4 games on Pro will run at higher framerates and VR on Pro will be substantially different from running on launch hardware. Where does this leave the countless individuals that own a current PS4? How will games continue to flesh out in the long run? What happens in another year or two when the Scorpio launches and Playstation launches something to combat it where it falls into another weird category of not a new generation but a better version of an already existing system?

Was this really necessary or worth it in the long run? Could they not have rested on their laurels another year or two and just released an even more powerful Playstation 5 that maybe had backwards compatibility with PS4 games? Could they not have released a peripheral or an expansion that allowed these changes to happen?

It was mentioned yesterday that HDR gaming will be patched into all existing PS4’s and into the Pro, which only makes me further question the purpose of this new console. Could this not have been released as an expansion for everyone to have access to over a brand new console? The N64 had an expansion pak way back in the day which was proprietary to play DK64, Majora’s Mask, Banjo Tooie and other more intensive games, but you didn’t see Nintendo releasing a brand new console just to fix that issue either.

The entire concept of the Pro has taken the gaming community by storm and upset not only the consumers, but developers and industry critics alike.
Screenshot+2016-09-08+07.05.46.png

Screenshot+2016-09-08+07.06.11.png

Screenshot+2016-09-08+07.19.34.png


The future of the console industry is foggy and unpredictable as of late. I’d like to hope that the PS4PRO won’t divide the community in the ways I have outlined but I can’t really see that happening. Only time will tell as the console rolls out this November and respective games get released. It could go one way or the other, where standard versions are inferior and broken, or the newer versions are buggy and unplayable, or even that everything works out fine and this is the hopeless griping of someone that can’t see a nice future in constant console upgrades.

But hey. This is why I went PC anyway.
 

Pecrow

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
1,137
Trophies
0
Age
33
XP
640
Country
United States
I am still waiting for that NX Reveal... damn it ninty!!

(By the way, I personally have no reason to switch to a [pro] PS4)

I remember when I heard the rumors for the ps4.5... that really annoyed me. Then with their price increase for psn.. really? I am seriously thinking about selling my PS4 and never buying another one ever again. The only reason I have not yet sold it is to wait and see if FF15 will make a release on the NX. If FF15 is coming to the NX, Good bye PS4 for good.
 
Last edited by Pecrow,

rasputin

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
937
Trophies
0
XP
327
Country
United States
pretty much agree with everything in OP. guess we'll be selling our old ps4's for xmas

but maybe ps5 is just around the corner at this rate
 

Alex658

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
1,206
Trophies
1
Age
29
Location
Colombia
XP
1,194
Country
Colombia
So suddenly everybody's doing the Nintendo formula and N3ds'ing gamers?

It's not exactly a new gen, excepts it exceeds the original in almost... everything, yet they share the same games with resolutions differences?
I just hope it would not become a bloody mess like Hyrule Warrior Legends became for N3ds and the unplayable garbage that was when you played it on O3ds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: I pwned U!

Pecrow

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
1,137
Trophies
0
Age
33
XP
640
Country
United States
most likely faster fps even on 1080p, even on older games like witcher 3 with a patch
My Witcher 3 plays just fine on my old-PS4. If I cared about frame rates, resolution, etc... I would be playing on PC. There is a reason why console gamers are console gamers. Simply buy the game, stick it in, and play. You spend more time optimizing a game, and replacing hardware on the PC Master Race then you do playing the games. [All my opinion] I play on console to not have to worry about upgrades every few years.... and now... this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chavosaur

chavosaur

Chavo
OP
Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
4,796
Trophies
1
Age
29
Location
Huntersville, NC
XP
8,177
Country
United States
So news articals that is more personal is exclusive, unlike when we report stuff someone else already said :P
Basically this isn't entirely news, it's more of an opinion piece, which is why I put it in scene and news for discussion since it deals with the gaming scene. But in a manner of speaking you are correct, personal pieces are a different from standard news that is sourced.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TeamScriptKiddies

Justinde75

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2016
Messages
2,529
Trophies
1
Age
23
XP
4,527
Country
Germany
I haven't purchased any ps4 yet, but I would go with the ps4 pro just because of the fear that some games won't run at 30 or 60 fps on the normal model. One game I am really worried about is Final Fantasy XV. The graphical downgrade really hit game.
_20160909_020134.JPG

I am worried that the game is only going to run at a good framerate on the pro model, because of the increased clock speed. I believe that the game got delayed to make sure it runs better on the ps4 pro hardware, because they release at the same time (10 days apart). I am not a graphic junkie, I am defenitly satisfied how the normal PS4 games look, but the thing that makes me want to buy the pro model is the increased clock speed. Its just way too important for me to have a game run at a good fps. I don't want to play a slideshow. One thing (that probably won't be the case) is that maybe, sony somehow increased the security so it is harder to gain control to the chips inside of the console, making it harder to hack the system. I am not sure about that, but it could be possible.
 
Last edited by Justinde75,
  • Like
Reactions: Raylight

FrozenDragon150

Notorious Coffee Drinker
Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2014
Messages
405
Trophies
0
XP
390
Country
Venezuela
I don't like the comparisons to the N3DS. At least the N3DS did do more than just more RAM and higher clock speed. It added better 3D, enhancing the console's main gimmick, it added extra buttons and the c-stick so you don't have to buy a CPP, the extra hardware also allowing it to be usable on intensive games like Sm4sh, it added native amiibo support, so you don't have to buy the extra thingie, so it's not just extra specs. And it still uses the extra specs for useful stuff.

The PS4 "Pro" just adds extra performance. That's it. Imagine if the n3DS didn't add none of that stuff I mentioned and instead just upgraded the specs, I wouldn't buy it, personally.

The DSi was kind of in a similar boat, I definitely didn't buy one for the extra specs, but for the wealth of new features it brough in compared to the original DS.
 

chavosaur

Chavo
OP
Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
4,796
Trophies
1
Age
29
Location
Huntersville, NC
XP
8,177
Country
United States
I don't like the comparisons to the N3DS. At least the N3DS did do more than just more RAM and higher clock speed. It added better 3D, enhancing the console's main gimmick, it added extra buttons and the c-stick so you don't have to buy a CPP, the extra hardware also allowing it to be usable on intensive games like Sm4sh, it added native amiibo support, so you don't have to buy the extra thingie, so it's not just extra specs. And it still uses the extra specs for useful stuff.

The PS4 "Pro" just adds extra performance. That's it. Imagine if the n3DS didn't add none of that stuff I mentioned and instead just upgraded the specs, I wouldn't buy it, personally.

The DSi was kind of in a similar boat, I definitely didn't buy one for the extra specs, but for the wealth of new features it brough in compared to the original DS.
That is precisely why I avoided comparing it to the N3DS, good analogy.
 

Pecrow

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
1,137
Trophies
0
Age
33
XP
640
Country
United States
That is precisely why I avoided comparing it to the N3DS, good analogy.
I agree, even the jump from O3ds to N3ds is not only about performance, New buttons, analog stick, face tracking, customize it as needed (face plates), etc
 

GamerzHell9137

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
4,038
Trophies
2
Age
28
XP
3,719
Country
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Was a console user until 2013 but changed to PC, don't regret anything. I would be piss mad if i had an OG launch unit just to learn that a lot better console is coming and costs the same price.
Most thing that bothers me on consoles is the performance of games, some do well but others run horrid and not to talk about frame pacing which a lot of games have issues with.
Console gaming has died for me, nowadays its either portable consoles or PC. Consoles are the middle ground and there's no need for them nowadays.
If you wanna argue with me that consoles are plug and play then i can prove you wrong.
Nowadays games need to be installed on consoles...... i'm like wut. Some friends wanted to install NBA 2K15 and iirc you needed like 40 additional GB to install it (even thou the game was downloaded from PSN!) but its not only that one game, iirc BF4 and a lot other games needed files to be installed too, even when playing from a disc/digital. That's just..... confusing for me. But yeah, having an open eco system, mod support, FREE online(which is the biggest reason why i wouldn't go back) and the PC can be used for multiple things, consoles just can't stand a chance (at least in my opinion)
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa I think another reason to want to update is if the hfw is at the level of the fw
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    you can sync trophies
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Yea that's what I'm sitting on now- 4.9, and it seems fine, have had no issues at all
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    I don't know if people play online or such
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    My ps3 short circuited during a deep clean still salty about it after downloading 2tbs worth but SteamDeck okay with emulation still just can't run mgs4 worth shit
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Yea forgot bout trophies. They just silly to me. Just like the xbox achievements. Hey, to each they own tho.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    It keeps players in touch with the game like a check list of things to do after they beat it
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa they ruined the gaming experience for me to be honest
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa Im not crazy about getting all of them, i feel like I have something to show for for the time put in
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa If you want to do rgh or 360 mod
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    does it matter if you update your 360 or not before trying is it advisable or not
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Yea I don't pay attention to them really. Or do I try to 100% a game. I just play till story ends/ or I get the girl!
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Bigonya uses his wiener to mod 360s
    +1
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Going to the water park, see ya
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    You should update the 360 to newest dash before RGHing it yes. But not a big deal if you don't, you can install new dash/avatar updates after. It's just easier to do it auto online before, instead manual offline after.
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Have fun @Xdqwerty. If you see a chocolate candy bar floating in the water, don't eat it!
  • AncientBoi @ AncientBoi:
    :O:ohnoes: Y didn't U Tell ME that ALSO? @BigOnYa :ohnoes: 🤢🤮
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Does it taste like... chicken?
    +1
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa I wanted to ask you about your experience with seeing south park. Most of the people a bit younger like my younger brother and cousins that are a few younger than me that saw kids found south park funny because of the curse words, kids at school, that seemed like liking the show on a very basic level.

    I could not quite have a in depth discussion of the show.

    How was it for you? As an adult. What did you find the most interesting part about it. Did you relate to the parents of the kids and their situations. Was it satires, the commentary on society. The references on celebrities' and pop culture.
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I remember seeing the very first episode back in the day, and have watched every episode since. I used to set my VCR to record them even, shows how long ago.
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I just like any comedies really, and cartoons have always been a favorite of mine. Family guy, American Dad, Futurama, Cleveland Show, Simpsons - I like them all.
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    South Park is great cause they always touch on relavent issues going on today, and make something funny out of it.
    +2
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa were you always up to date on the current events and issues of the time or were there issues that you first found out thru south park
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Most of the time yea I knew, I watch and read the news regularly, but sometimes the Hollywood BS stuff, like concerning actors slip by me. I don't follow most Hollywood BS (example: the Kardasians)
    BigOnYa @ BigOnYa: Most of the time yea I knew, I watch and read the news regularly, but sometimes the Hollywood BS...