With holiday season fast approaching and the dreaded shitstorm that is Black Friday so uncomfortably close that I feel as though I can already smell the whiff of a thousand rampant sweaty bargain hunters, it’s time to start fantasizing about what gaming goodies to purchase. And this year we’ve got a smorgasbord of sexy gadgetry that has recently made its debut, each offering the latest and greatest in graphical advancements to enhance gaming experiences.
- Sony’s updated gaming powerhouse, the PS4 Pro, offers twice the horsepower and 4K output. It’s only been out in the wild for a week, but is already earning praise for its attractive price point and the promise of prettier gameplay.
- PlayStation VR, Sony’s entry level virtual reality unit, offers gamers an affordable and well-supported opportunity to get involved in what could prove to be video gaming’s next big thing.
- Affordable 4K HDR TVs are suddenly all the rage after Microsoft and Sony have incorporated the new technologies in the future of both PS4 and Xbox One S, offering sharper visuals and a richer color palette.
These are the devices that are the talk of the town at the moment if you’re tech savvy, and the marketing departments of the respective manufacturers are pushing hard for them to become mainstream. The Pro was built around the premise that gamers care about sharper visuals, VR is being mooted as the next big thing in gaming, and 4K is fast becoming the new benchmark in visual clarity across all entertainment mediums.
All of a sudden, you’re going to need to produce over $1000 to keep up with the times. That’s an awful lot of money to drop on technology that, despite receiving fair praise in their reviews, still represents somewhat of an unknown in regards to their necessity moving forward. Certainly, each device represents exciting advancements for gaming, but not many individuals are likely to want to invest that sort of money unless there are notable improvements to be had.
Coincidentally, all three devices come in at around $400 individually, so what if you’ve got the dough for one but you aren’t sure which to choose? What offers the most bang for your buck out of the box, and what is likely to be the wisest investment moving forward in terms of continued support? Luckily, we’re here to help, as we’ve taken the time to compare all three devices and offer up a verdict.