Mois-s-Ram-rezWith the PS4 Pro deemed a somewhat successful release on the market by Sony’s President, and Microsoft’s ProjectScorpio’s imminent release, I am left thinking if this could be the dawn of a new trend in home consoles.
A mid-cycle upgrade of a console is no novelty by any means; we have seen redesigns of consoles for years, with the PS family of home consoles all having a variation at some point in their generation, the Xbox 360’s much needed revision (RROD anyone?), and heck, even the Wii had its smaller version released at the end of its cycle.
One thing to note, however, is that, at least in home consoles, there never was a performance upgrade for any of the new iterations that came for each, save for internal cooling/heating upgrades and the addition/removal of ports. With the exception of the New Nintendo 3DS, the newer versions of these consoles just had some sort redesign in appearance, and that was about it. All of this could change though…
With the PS4 Pro offering improved graphics and performance, and Scorpio’s similarly expected results, we seem to be looking at something that could potentially become the new standard. If we ever get a PS5, the next Xbox and next Nintendo console, I’m willing to bet we will be treated to mid-cycle upgrades as well, and to be honest, I don’t know how beneficial that could be to the gaming industry.
As it is now, and as a proud owner of a PS4, I don’t really intend on getting its Pro version. If slightly better graphics and a few more FPS is all I’m getting, then I really don’t see a reason to put down the cash for one, if Sony keeps its word on the compatibility of future games that is. Similarly, if all Scorpio offers to potential buyers is improvements for games that can also be played on Xbox One, I can’t imagine a lot of people going crazy about forking over a few hundred dollars. Yes, I am aware that PC gamers have been doing this for years, albeit in a slightly different way, but my point stands: I see no good in getting a console that will play the same games I already have, even if they look or run a little better.
What say you? Will this be the new trend? Do you support it?
Hey guys! This is my first article here, and I hope not the last.
Since this is my first time doing this, I might have some areas of opportunity, so please bear with me!
Also, if you have any constructive feedback, I'd be most delighted to read it 🙂
Last edited by Masszt3r on 5/25/2017 2:12:11 PM
Hey guys! This is my first article here, and I hope not the last.
Since this is my first time doing this, I might have some areas of opportunity, so please bear with me!
Also, if you have any constructive feedback, I'd be most delighted to read it 🙂
Last edited by Masszt3r on 5/25/2017 2:12:11 PM
Hey Ramirez,
Thanks for the post, it feels more like what we used to see from the old gang than all the indie reviews(Not that there is anything wrong with that).
I have the PS4 Uncharted 4 edition and wasn't planning on getting the Pro, but the wife "allowed" me a $500 dollars splurge and I couldn't resist.
My LG UHD TV does a great job of up-scaling the contents, but the possibility of playing GoW in UHD and TLoU part2 was too tempting 🙂
I actually purchased, and returned, the Playstation VR. I was disappointed and just could not get past the huge graphic downgrade. It really felt like I was playing my games on my old 32" JVC SD TV LOL
Will be getting the Pro Thursday next week and will let you know my first impressions.
Keep on posting!!!
Heh…new comment system, old comment system, don't know where to post stuff. Decent article, though – well done.
I think it's a complicated topic that has a lot of people on edge. Do we really want more frequent hardware refreshes – and the costs that come with them?
This time, there's a good reason, I think – 4K televisions weren't really on the table when the PS4 hit the market, and now they're huge. Do you really want to wait for the PS5 to natively support the new tech?
Having a mid-cycle upgrade now, will they be encouraged to do that with the PS5 just for specs? I hope not…at least now I do. Maybe by then we'll be desperate for a mid-cycle upgrade. Hard to guess.
Good article man,thanks.
I agree,if games look or run a little better i don't need another console,i'm satisfied as it is!
But the graphics die-hards can decide if it's worth the extra money.
Hey Ramirez,
Thanks for the post, it feels more like what we used to see from the old gang than all the indie reviews(Not that there is anything wrong with that).
I have the PS4 Uncharted 4 edition and wasn't planning on getting the Pro, but the wife "allowed" me a $500 dollars splurge and I couldn't resist.
My LG UHD TV does a great job of up-scaling the contents, but the possibility of playing GoW in UHD and TLoU part2 was too tempting 🙂
I actually purchased, and returned, the Playstation VR. I was disappointed and just could not get past the huge graphic downgrade. It really felt like I was playing my games on my old 32" JVC SD TV LOL
Will be getting the Pro Thursday next week and will let you know my first impressions.
Keep on posting!!!
Hey Ramirez,
Thanks for the post, it feels more like what we used to see from the old gang than all the indie reviews(Not that there is anything wrong with that).
I have the PS4 Uncharted 4 edition and wasn't planning on getting the Pro, but the wife "allowed" me a $500 dollars splurge and I couldn't resist.
My LG UHD TV does a great job of up-scaling the contents, but the possibility of playing GoW in UHD and TLoU part2 was too tempting 🙂
I actually purchased, and returned, the Playstation VR. I was disappointed and just could not get past the huge graphic downgrade. It really felt like I was playing my games on my old 32" JVC SD TV LOL
Will be getting the Pro Thursday next week and will let you know my first impressions.
Keep on posting!!!
Heh…new comment system, old comment system, don't know where to post stuff. Decent article, though – well done.
I think it's a complicated topic that has a lot of people on edge. Do we really want more frequent hardware refreshes – and the costs that come with them?
This time, there's a good reason, I think – 4K televisions weren't really on the table when the PS4 hit the market, and now they're huge. Do you really want to wait for the PS5 to natively support the new tech?
Having a mid-cycle upgrade now, will they be encouraged to do that with the PS5 just for specs? I hope not…at least now I do. Maybe by then we'll be desperate for a mid-cycle upgrade. Hard to guess.
Good article man,thanks.
I agree,if games look or run a little better i don't need another console,i'm satisfied as it is!
But the graphics die-hards can decide if it's worth the extra money.
If mid-cycle upgrades become the norm, then they should at least sell us an upgradeable system. I'd be willing to spend up to half the cost of the console if significant improvements could be made.
I think it all depends on technology. My personal opinion is that 4k has come so far so fast, you can get 40" TV's for around $400, that Sony and Microsoft had to get some of that business. Also the possibility of VR on both devices, since that happend really fast as well.
So a mid console refresh would make sense if that kind of tech trend continues, but there is also a real possibility that this is a one time thing. Im sure it all depends on how the Pro and Scorpio sell though.
If mid-cycle upgrades become the norm, then they should at least sell us an upgradeable system. I'd be willing to spend up to half the cost of the console if significant improvements could be made.
I think it all depends on technology. My personal opinion is that 4k has come so far so fast, you can get 40" TV's for around $400, that Sony and Microsoft had to get some of that business. Also the possibility of VR on both devices, since that happend really fast as well.
So a mid console refresh would make sense if that kind of tech trend continues, but there is also a real possibility that this is a one time thing. Im sure it all depends on how the Pro and Scorpio sell though.
If mid-cycle upgrades become the norm, then they should at least sell us an upgradeable system. I'd be willing to spend up to half the cost of the console if significant improvements could be made.
I think it all depends on technology. My personal opinion is that 4k has come so far so fast, you can get 40" TV's for around $400, that Sony and Microsoft had to get some of that business. Also the possibility of VR on both devices, since that happend really fast as well.
So a mid console refresh would make sense if that kind of tech trend continues, but there is also a real possibility that this is a one time thing. Im sure it all depends on how the Pro and Scorpio sell though.
I'm not sure how to feel about mid cycle refreshes. On one hand, I upgrade my PC quicker than consoles, but I can do it on my own time, or even wait it out for another year for the newer hardware. With the consoles, I could get the first version and be done with it. Sure there was slimmer models but that was it, it didn't bring in new enhancements or power. Now I might wait it out on consoles and get the PS5.5 instead of getting a PS5.
I think it's just the mindset of consoles, where you just get it and have it all. Then you just added some accessories. But now there's your PS4 and this newer one that plays the games a bit shinier. So it is not the same console anymore.
Of course what I spent on my PC I could get a PS4 and a Pro but it's more than just a gaming system. So there's more value and it has better graphics.
I'm not sure, later on I probably won't care and just get the new version too, lol.
From what I can gather, all of these new "pro" console upgrades are based on or will be based on the current infrastructure. This should mean that the games will work on all versions of the console, just like they do with the current PS4 and PS4 Pro.
Personally, I like the idea of being able to upgrade my console for better performance, or a more modern hardware experience. So long as the games continue to work, and they run at the current standards, I don't see why a "pro" version can't exist? It's not as if I'm losing anything.
If the trend becomes fact then it's pretty good for me because it'll make me keep my old console for way longer than my old impulses used to.
If I didn't know about the Scorpio, or if this was 4 years ago, I probable would've picked up a PS4 Pro. Thankfully the tech enhancements were abysmal and had they guaranteed 60fps 1080p on all games then I would've considered. But they weren't 'allowed' to do that.
If the trend becomes fact then it's pretty good for me because it'll make me keep my old console for way longer than my old impulses used to.
If I didn't know about the Scorpio, or if this was 4 years ago, I probable would've picked up a PS4 Pro. Thankfully the tech enhancements were abysmal and had they guaranteed 60fps 1080p on all games then I would've considered. But they weren't 'allowed' to do that.
I'm not sure how to feel about mid cycle refreshes. On one hand, I upgrade my PC quicker than consoles, but I can do it on my own time, or even wait it out for another year for the newer hardware. With the consoles, I could get the first version and be done with it. Sure there was slimmer models but that was it, it didn't bring in new enhancements or power. Now I might wait it out on consoles and get the PS5.5 instead of getting a PS5.
I think it's just the mindset of consoles, where you just get it and have it all. Then you just added some accessories. But now there's your PS4 and this newer one that plays the games a bit shinier. So it is not the same console anymore.
Of course what I spent on my PC I could get a PS4 and a Pro but it's more than just a gaming system. So there's more value and it has better graphics.
I'm not sure, later on I probably won't care and just get the new version too, lol.
From what I can gather, all of these new "pro" console upgrades are based on or will be based on the current infrastructure. This should mean that the games will work on all versions of the console, just like they do with the current PS4 and PS4 Pro.
Personally, I like the idea of being able to upgrade my console for better performance, or a more modern hardware experience. So long as the games continue to work, and they run at the current standards, I don't see why a "pro" version can't exist? It's not as if I'm losing anything.