As has long been rumored, Sony has, finally, announced the next generation of the PlayStation 4, officially dubbed the PlayStation 4 Pro.
Sony's new console will still play PS4 games and is still a PS4 for all intents and purpose, but it comes with a number of added benefits not found in the original console. The console's GPU has been doubled from the standard PS4 and also features a boosted clockrate for improved frames-per-second. All PS4 Pro consoles will also come equipped with a 1 TB hard drive.
The PS4 Pro will support 4K resolutions, as well as HDR (High Dynamic Range). Not all games will support HDR, but Sony did show off a number of games using the technology, such as Days Gone, which debuted at Sony's E3 press conference earlier this year. The PS4 Pro also means a big boost in performance when it comes to PlayStation VR, like improved visual fidelity and performance.
For those who don't own a 4K- or HDR-capable TV, the PS4 Pro will still have a number of benefits for players. For developers who decide to support it, improved textures, particle effects and more can be seen. Patches for older first-party and third-party games will be patched to support PS4 Pro, so players can expect to see a number of improvements in some of their favorite games, like Uncharted 4 and Infamous: Second Son. Both Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops III will support PS4 Pro as well. EA also confirmed that Mass Effect Andromeda, FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1 will support PS4 Pro.
Though the new console will be able to stream content in 4K via Netflix and other streaming services, the console will not be able to play Ultra Blu-ray disc movies, something Microsoft's plans for its "Project Scorpio" Xbox One to do when it releases next year.
The PS4 Pro will release on Nov. 10 for a retail price of $399, significantly cheaper than most would have guessed. The price point should make it competitive with the Xbox One S this holiday season, which also features many of the same features as the PS4 Pro.
The PS4 Pro wasn't the only announcement to come out of Sony's reveal. Sony also revealed that the long-leaked PS4 Slim would retail for $299 and would arrive on store shelves Sept. 15. Fans also got their first real gameplay footage of Bioware's Mass Effect: Andromeda, running on the PS4 Pro.
