Will Sony announce the new PS4 Pro 4k refresh at E3, scheduled for release fall of 2018? I speculate YES

This is exactly what Microsoft did with the S redesign to be more competitive with the PS4. They added a blu-ray drive, more power, HDR support and an all new prettier design. Keep in mind, I'm not talking about the PS5, that will be years down the line. This is a refresh which PS4 Pro is due for.

They could add a Blu-ray drive and also give it a bit of an overclock so that the CPU matches the 2.3Ghz of the X and the GPU moves to a more decent 4.7 teraflop rating. They also can add another 2GBs of GDDR5 RAM for a total of 10.5 GBs and finally increase the memory bandwidth to approx 250 GB/s. They could change the name to the PS4 Pro 4k to differentiate it from the regular PS4 Pro.

The MSRP would be $399 so while it still won't match the specs of the X, it will come closer and be $100 cheaper.

Before anyone says I'm crazy or starts with the attacks, remember that Sony will almost definitely release a PS4 Pro update by the end of this year. What I am speculating about is that it will be like the upgrade M$ did with the S when they were being outclassed by the PS4. They added a blu-ray drive, a little more power, HDR support and a much prettier box. Why won't Sony do the same now that they are in the position of facing a much more powerful competitor?

There's no chance of this happening. It would anger all PS4 Pro owners and further segment the development of PS4 games. We don't need a refresh of a mid-gen refresh. The next console is PS5 even if it's not coming until 2020/2021.

In theory they could but there is a big difference between MS and Sony mid gen refreshes, Sony usually removes things from their HW during refreshes while MS usually adds things during their mid gen refreshes. So yea theoretically Sony could improve the Pro to be more of a Pro console but not likely.

This is not a refresh of a mid-gen refresh. This is a facelift similar to the one Microsoft gave the Xbox One in favor of the Xbox One S. Remember those changes? Was that considered another refresh?

Lol, good point actually. That didn't occur to me but it's usually true. However, in this particular case it would be hard to imagine Sony remove anything from the PS4 Pro. That console is as barebones as it gets.

No, there won't be a new Playstation this year. 2020 is when the PS5 and most likely the next Xbox will come out.

Also, Pro is already on a 16nm fab process, we won't see 7nm until 2019, so you won't even get a Pro Slim model this year either.

@EG101: That wont happen since the ps4 is Profitable. The PS3 was losing money so they had to find a way to make it profitable.

If that happends, then I will never ever buy another Sony console again. Having to buy the expensive and shtty Pro was already too much for me.

Maybe but I doubt it. The timing is tricky, it would still be a while before it releases, and it might make too many hardware releases in a short time span. I feel like a lot of the people who have the 4K TVs already got their Pro or X, so another one soon will not have that many takers. But never say never, who knows

Won't happen

You may see some optimization on a new Pro Model but I don't believe we'll see any massive GPU bump.

Doing more than one refresh a gen that bumps up features and specs is pushing it. That's a Microsoft type of stunt. They'll make an upgraded Xbox annually if they have to.

I speculate that you're wrong as usual

Click here to find some FACTS about how OP is wrong

Lol no. I remember people pretending to be pissed off when the Pro was announced. This would actually piss people off.

Not going to happen. Sony is laser focused on PS5 at this moment and is likely finalizing all hardware involved. What would be the point of hardware that's 5% faster than the Pro?

Releasing a 4k console that isn't capable when their competitors can't match the games.

Why bother.

It would be so pointless to do at this point.

Adding a 4K Blu ray player adds too much cost. Might as well wait until PS5 to do that which they will.

I still wouldn't support it unless my launch PS4 bricked. I'm waiting for PS5.

That would not make any sense for Sony to make such a move. The PS5 will be their next incremental upgrade.

@speedfog: why did you have to buy the shtty pro?

Sony's better off focusing on lowering the price of the PS4, Pro, and PSVR. Although, if they were to announce another piece of hardware, it would probably be some sort of PS4 Super Slim.

I don't see it as pointless. It would right some wrongs, the most notable is not including a blu-ray 4k drive. It just seems that Sony would be well served offsetting some of the features on the X. The X has a 4k blu-ray drive, a lot more GPU power, more CPU power, a lot more RAM and a lot more memory bandwidth.

Nope, not a chance.

No chance in Hell.

Why not? Do you think they will at least put a 4k Blu-Ray drive in it?

@Xplode_games: Sony isn't gonna waste money just to include 4K Blu-Ray drive, it's already 2018 and too late as it is when PS5 is being develop as we speak.

More SKU's is not a good thing for console hardware, especially if they are actually going to be different specs. Releasing a PS4 Pro "2" or refresh with remotely different specs does nothing but confuse consumers. Hell, could you imagine the advertising: "RDR2 best on PS4 Pro "2", but still great on the PS4 Pro, and totally works on the PS4". The best thing they can get away with a PS4 Pro Slim, if they believe there is even a demand for it. Even then, there would be three consoles actively sold on the market:

PS4 Slim

PS4 Pro (until stock clears I guess)

PS4 Pro Slim

I'm not even sure they would bother with a Pro Slim. The general assumption is a PS5 in 2020.

Both vanilla systems already have a blu-ray drive, new systems have a UHD BR drive or at least XB1 S/X do, it would be a start, I'd be fine without that though if they focus more on better quieter cooling, probably just need to add larger fan, more ventilation, and they definitely need to scrap that sloped look, go with something new. If they make any major changes to new hardware design though I think all hell will break loose.

I wouldn't be shocked by a newer slim and pro slim.

If things follow what analysts are saying my predictions would be:e3 2018 Sony announces PS5 without a specified date and it will launch November 22nd 2019 after giving out the big reveal at e3 2019 of launch date they will include the reveal that there will be a slimmer ps4 and ps4 pro to launch a couple months earlier with some good price cuts to ensure that PS4 momentum continues.

If the Pro is expensive then a Xbox One X and a gaming PC are out of your league.

That's not going to happen, OP.

In February or March 2020 (about 2 years from now) Sony will announce the PS5 at a PlayStation Meeting with Mark Cerny giving a lengthy presentation on the PS5, its new controller, early work on 1st/3rd party games, etc.

E3 2020 - a full reveal of the console, launch games, launch date and price.

Fall 2020 - Release.

Maybe, but if I recall, Sony likes to gloat about upcoming stuff they have in the works years in advance. By this logic, they should have announced the PS5 like 2 years ago.

I don’t think we will see any new hardware from either Sony, MS or Nintendo until 2020.

Just speculation but this year just seems to soon.

A snowman has a better chance at surviving a nuclear bomb blast than Sony releasing an "upgraded" PS4 Pro

Now what might actually happen is they might eventually do a PS4 Pro Slim but other than it having a physically smaller form factor I don't see them upgrading anything like CPU, GPU, RAM etc.

If anything they might upgrade the hard drive to 2-3 Terabytes.

No. There is no reason to.

Why should they...???

The og ps4 is selling like crazy and out performs the pro, don't see why they should waste the resources for nothing.

that would be really dumb and the industry is very bad at keep secrets, so if this was a thing we would be hearing whispers about it already.

Nope, wont happen. Sony wants to have the ability to lower the price of the Pro to compete with the X when they officially lower the price. Adding more expensive components only presents negatives, in their ability to lower prices, and to owners who purchased the pro just a lil over a year ago.

Also, if you make owners 2nd guess their Pro purchase, you open the door for a certain percentage of them to pick up an X instead of an upgraded Pro.

Dumbest prediction ever. Sony would not create a further split than they already have and jeopardize making the ps5 look iterative rather than generational.

Since there is no console that is not shit and capable of 60fps in all games, there is no immediate threat to Sony. So, X1X is better than PS4 Pro, but it is still shit and not a big threat. Another refresh is not going to happen.

Heck no I already have two PS4s a original and a pro I don't need to go out and get a third because of an unnecessary feature and no exclusive games that I can't already play on the PS4s I own

That was the old Sony with PS2 and PS3.

PS2 technology revealed March 1999 in Tokyo. It released March 2000 in Japan, October 2000 in the U.S. The PS3 got announced at E3 2005, released November 2006. The PS4 was only announced the same year it released, about 9 months apart. February 2013 to November 2013.

I think Sony will follow the PS4 strategy of announcement and release in the same year with PS5.

This would be an admonition of complete incompetence on Sony's part. This would be them saying to the PS4 pro folks, "So see what had happened was... we released 4K lite but now we are giving you the "true" 4K experience. Please and thank you for buying this system at full price." But yeah nah they should wait a few years and then bring out the PS5 and not another half-step machine.

@Xplode_games: I agreee with you at 101%.

Sony cannot ignore the growing 4k tv market, offering a false 4k console, with "dynamic 4k gaming" (upscaled 1440p or 1080p) and no 4k Blu Ray.

I had to buy an Xbox One (first S, than X at launch) to watch 4k Blu Rays and (later) play real 4k multiplatform games, owning an Oled TV LG 65B6V since December 2016.

I blame Sony for having been too scared of pricing the Ps4 Pro over 399$/€ (I am from Italy, sorry for eventual language mistakes), offering a product without a real target (not "premium", neither "base" product), the real reason why it had no success.

If I had in 2016 a 599€ Pro with 4k Blu Ray capable to run Nier Automata at 4k output instead of 1080p, I, would never bought an Xbox One since Microsoft this time has no good exclusive games for me (I adored Xbox 360 until Kinect came and destroyed all).

The options for Sony are:

- as you said, to launch a "Pro 4k" with 4k Blu Ray and improved clocks, in the late 2018

- to launch an "Ultra(HD)" Ps4(k) in the late 2018, doubling Pro's GPU and obiouvsly adding 4k Blu Ray, to play all Ps4 games at full 2160p, becoming Pro the base model for a full 1080p and launching Ps5 in 2021;

- to anticipate Ps5 in March 2019.

They can't stay other 2 or 3 years with that fake 4k console in a market where every TV sold is a 4k TV.

Not going to happen and the next iteration of consoles would be another mid gen upgrade.