When the curtain fell on Sony’s PlayStation Meeting yesterday evening, the PlayStation family welcomed not one, but two new pieces of hardware in the PS4 Slim and high-end PS4 Pro.
For many, it was the system formerly referred to as PlayStation 4 Neo that stole the headlines. Heralding 4K output, increased performance and HDR compatibility – the latter feature will be introduced to all PS4s across the board soon via an upcoming firmware update – PS4 Pro is being championed as the premium product of the current PlayStation ecosystem and is, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment America chief Shawn Layden, part of the platform-holder’s mission to “broaden the community.”
Per The Verge, Layden touched base on the company’s plans to launch three new pieces of hardware – the PS4 Slim, PSVR and the beefed up Pro model – in as many months.
“PlayStation VR is something we see as a real disruptive technology. I think three new pieces of hardware coming in a very short time frame may appear extremely ambitious, but they’re all talking to different sectors of the market. They’re filling different kinds of needs. Is it challenging? Yeah. But the PS Pro, we developed it, we made it, it’s ready, we want to bring it out as soon as we can.”
When it comes to games, the likes of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Guerrilla’s Horizon Zero Dawn will support the new hardware from the off, allowing developers to “deliver high-fidelity graphical experiences.” Don’t expect that performance boost to carry over into multiplayer, however, with Naughty Dog’s lead programmer Christian Gyrling noting that frame rate and the like will be capped at a single threshold regardless of whether you’re running PS4 or its beefed up brethren, the PS4 Pro.
Touting increased technical horsepower that allows for both 4K streaming and a smoother experience with PlayStation VR, Sony has pegged PS4 Pro for launch on November 10. It’ll retail for $399.
