PlayStation 4 Pro: Everything You Need to Know

Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro is set to launch later this week on November 10, but how does this new PS4 model compare to the original model in terms of visuals and physical makeup? Below we detail everything you need to know about PS4 Pro, with our in-depth review, our latest news and features, and a Q&A that answers all the important questions you might have about the console.

Be sure to check back often as we update this article with more news and features.

The Review

"The PlayStation 4 Pro represents a new move for Sony. While the company has refreshed many of its consoles before, the PS4 Pro marks the first time a mid-generational design has received a significant boost in processing power. Sony says that the Pro was primarily designed to take advantage of burgeoning 4K TVs, but is it powerful enough? More importantly, is it worth it?" Jimmy Thang [full review]

PlayStation 4 Pro FAQ

What is the PS4 Pro? The PlayStation 4 Pro is a more powerful version of the PS4. According to Sony, it doesn’t represent a new console generation but is a mid-generational upgrade.

What are the PS4 Pro’s specs?

• CPU: x86-64 AMD "Jaguar," 8 cores clocked at 2.1GHz
• GPU: 4.2 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon-based graphics clocked at 911MHz with 36 compute units
• Memory: GDDR5 8GB + 1GB DRAM
• Storage size: 1TB (most likely 5,400rpm)
• External dimensions: Approx. 295x55x327 mm/11.6x2.1x12.8 in (width x height x length) (excludes largest projection)
• Mass: Approx. 3.3 kg/2.2 pounds
• Blu-ray/DVD Drive: Blu-ray × 6 CAV, DVD × 8 CAV
• Input/Output: Super-Speed USB (USB 3.1 Gen.1) port × 3, AUX port × 1
• Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)×1, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE)
• Power: AC 100V, 50/60Hz
• Power consumption: Max. 310W
• Operating temp: 5ºC – 35ºC/41ºF – 95ºF
• AV Output: HDMI out port (supports 4K/HDR) DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) port

How do the PS4 Pro’s specs compare to Microsoft’s upcoming Project Scorpio console? There’s still a lot we don’t know about Project Scorpio, but Microsoft’s upcoming console is shaping up to be more powerful on paper with its 6-teraflop GPU. It’s also releasing much later--it’s expected to launch Q4 2017.

When is PS4 Pro releasing? November 10, 2016

How much will PS4 Pro cost? $399/£349/A$560

Will the PS4 Pro work with PS4 games? Yes. The system will be completely backward compatible with the existing PS4 library.

Will there be PS4 Pro exclusive games that won’t work on the original PS4? No. Sony asserts that games made for the PS4 Pro will be backward compatible with the original PS4--and vice versa.

Will original PS4 games receive a graphical boost on the PS4 Pro? Only if game developers go back and patch their games.

Why is Sony making the PS4 Pro? Sony tells us it’s making the PS4 Pro to capitalize on emerging display technologies like 4K and HDR-capable TVs.

What exactly is 4K? In the consumer realm, it’s generally considered a resolution that offers 3,840 horizontal pixels and 2,160 vertical pixels.

Does PS4 Pro support 4K? The PS4 Pro supports 4K video playback, and some games will support native 4K rendering (3840x2160p), but Sony tells us that most 2160p titles will use an upscaling technique called checkerboard rendering.

What is checkerboard rendering? It’s a rendering technique that takes up the same spatial resolution as a native 3840x2160p image but has half the number of pixel shader invocations, which are laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Essentially, it’s a 4K-like rendering shortcut that isn’t quite as sharp or rich as a native 3840x2160p render, but it can look very close. Sony claims that checkerboard rendering looks better than games natively rendered at 1530p.

Will the PS4 Pro come with a 4K Blu-ray player? No. PlayStation president Andrew House commented: "Our feeling is that while physical media continues to be a big part of the games business, we see a trend on video towards streaming. Certainly with our user base, it's the second biggest use case for people's time on the system so we place more emphasis on that area."

Why won’t the PS4 Pro come with a 4K Blu-ray player? In addition to serving as a cost-saving measure, Sony tells us that its data shows most PS4 users stream video content and don’t use the optical disc drive.

Will the PS4 Pro support HDR? Yes

What is HDR, exactly? HDR stands for high dynamic range. You can learn more about it here. In short, HDR displays provide a much wider color gamut and contrast ratio compared to standard RGB panels. Colors look richer, blacks look darker, and whites look brighter.

Will all games and movies support HDR? No. Games and movies must be specifically designed to support HDR.

Do I need a 4K TV or HDR TV to use the PS4 Pro? No, but if you want to fully reap the system’s benefits, you’ll want one.

Is there any benefit to using a PS4 Pro on a 1080p TV? Certain games, such as Paragon, will use the extra performance headroom to deliver higher quality graphics, as opposed to delivering a sharper resolution. Some titles will also use a technique called supersampling that will render an image at a higher-than-1080p resolution and then downsample--or shrink--the image to fit a 1080p display. The end result is an image that looks sharper than one rendered at a native 1080p.

Will the PS4 Pro use the SATA II or SATA III interface? The PS4 Pro will use the SATA III interface, which will allow solid-state drives that users can manually swap in to replace the PS4’s hard drive, to scale up to 6Gb/s. This is double the speed of the original PS4’s SATA II interface, which scales up to 3Gb/s.

Supported Games

PS4 Pro sports a laundry list of games that support its upgraded graphical power. With so many games to keep track of, we've compiled them all in the feature links below.

• All the PS4 Pro Games Optimized for Launch
• Every PS4 Pro Game That Is and Isn't Getting an Upgrade Patch

Comparison Features

Below you can find in-depth features that compare various aspects of PS4 Pro against Sony's other PS4 models and Microsoft's Xbox One models.

• Console Specs of PS4 Pro Compared to PS4 and Xbox One Consoles
• Physical Differences of PS4 Pro Compared to PS4 and Xbox One Consoles