Sony has officially announced both the PlayStation 4 Slim and the more powerful, PlayStation 4 Pro. The PlayStation 4 Pro is designed for gamers with advanced and expensive display technologies such as HDR and 4K.
Despite the support for 4K, however, Sony decided for some odd reason, to not add a 4K Blu-Ray drive to the console. This move caused a storm to rise among fans of the company who were hoping for a console similar to the Xbox One S, as it supports HDR, 4K and 4K Blu-Ray.
The company did not reveal why it chose to omit the Blu-Ray drive, but it appears as if this move might return to bite, because those who prefer to watch 4K content via Blu-Ray discs due to better video quality, may decide to look elsewhere.
One of the main reasons folks choose to attach themselves to Blu-Ray is not only because of the higher quality picture, but streaming 4K content might not be ideal. For some consumers, their internet service provider might have a cap system in place, or their internet speed is just not fast enough to keep up with streaming at 4K.
Whatever the reasons, this is a big blow and the whole mess has spilled over onto the internet pretty badly.
What's interesting, is the fact that Sony does not have a standalone 4K Blu-Ray player of its own, so there might be a rule in the company that is against going down this route. Maybe Sony believes 4K digital content will rise to a point where no one will require 4K Blu-Ray discs.
Well, with the number of folks complaining right now, it would seem as if the company is wrong with its assumption.
To make matters worse, Microsoft has gotten itself involved as well. Mike Ybarra, one of the top executives of the Xbox division, threw rocks at Sony in a tweet soon after the conference ended.
Forgot, available now. :) https://t.co/2ALA6oasrb
— Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) September 7, 2016
The tweet detailed some of the Xbox One S features, and Ybarra did not shy away from highlighting that the Xbox One S is capable of 4K Blu-Ray playback.
The console was praised by many industry pundits for not being just a downright slim Xbox One, but a console that adopted new technology in order to stay relevant throughout the years.
After today's reveal, Sony has a lot of work to do if it wants to impress the fathful and to get outsiders to explore what it has to offer. For those without a 4K TV, chances are the PS4 Pro might be a hard buy.
