PS4K - Revealed Alongside PS4 Slim as PS4 Pro - General DiscussionPS4 

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This thread is a compilation of what we know so far about the PS4K and for the general discussion of all things PS4K. We do know a few things such as that it exists, will possibly cost around the same as the regular PS4 did on release, will support VR, and that some first party studios are already working on their first release for this edition.


EDIT as of September 7th 2016

What it looks like

_91063531_ps4pro.jpg


Specs

ps4-pro-specs.png


Launches November 10th.
 
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I honestly consider it like a modern version of the N64 expansion pak in the way it'll likely work in-game. The game will either auto-detect whether it's a PS4 or PS4K and adjust accordingly, or the user will simply need to go into settings to select a PS4K option to enable higher graphics settings.

I don't see how it'll affect current PS4 owners, as it doesn't suddenly make the hardware in those systems any worse, and I can't see games being developed exclusively for PS4K, as that would significantly shrink the user base for said games, which would be idiotic for any developer to do.

It'll be simple with multi-plats, as they currently run much lower settings for PS4 than they're capable of, because consoles are so far behind PC. So I imagine devs would be able to allow two levels of graphics for PS4 and PS4K, out of what's already available for PC owners.

If I didn't own a PS4, and intended on buying one, I would wait and buy a PS4K, to have the better version and so I'd be ready if and when I wanted to upgrade to a 4K TV. Though as I currently own a PS4, I never intended on buying another console any time soon, and the PS4K won't change that.
 
I have no interest in VR at this point (its sweaty enough inside my headset without using a facemask). So, I will play what I can on the ps4 that I have til it (or i) die. Best just to wait til I can build my holodeck. :)
 
I don't see how it'll affect current PS4 owners, as it doesn't suddenly make the hardware in those systems any worse, and I can't see games being developed exclusively for PS4K, as that would significantly shrink the user base for said games, which would be idiotic for any developer to do.
Thats the problem, that possibility exists. GT for example likes to push boundries, so it seems likely that the more powerful one will be forethought. Hopefully not, but its not wise to rule it out completely, and thats why I thought that comment was ridiculous. As if these concerns are stupid. With a dev like PD for example, it's a bit worrying. I'd love to be wrong though.
 
Thats the problem, that possibility exists. GT for example likes to push boundries, so it seems likely that the more powerful one will be forethought. Hopefully not, but its not wise to rule it out completely, and thats why I thought that comment was ridiculous. As if these concerns are stupid. With a dev like PD for example, it's a bit worrying. I'd love to be wrong though.

With the current PS4 install base, it'd be monumentally stupid for any dev to make a game exclusively for PS4K. When you consider it's likely the only differences will be the 4K movie playback and a beefier GPU, it would be more hassle than it's worth to not allow a "de-tuned" version for PS4. The difference in graphics between "high" and "ultra" on PC require significant differences in GPU, yet don't look dramatically different. PC devs have been doing this forever, so I don't see it being an issue suddenly.

I do understand your concern regarding PD, as they've got a history or questionable decisions, but surely even they aren't so short sighted that they couldn't see that making GT PS4K exclusive would dramatically cut their sales potential, and reflect extremely poorly on Sony, who pull the puppet strings.
 
It's all very well discussing the hypothetical best case scenario but there is no guarantee that will be the how things go.
Sure, there is no way they'll be doing any exclusive PS4K games but it is quite conceivable a dev focuses on using all of the power of the new console and neglecting performance on the original.

I don't have a horse in this race in the sense that I don't yet own a PS4. If I were to look at this selfishly, I might think this idea is great, but looking at the wider picture I cannot see why Sony are doing it, if they indeed are.

I'm also getting rather tired of the PC comparisons that were continuing in the other thread. I've said a few times now it's not the same because PC buyers have always had the options when they go to buy their hardware. They always know that depending on their budget, they will have to game at a certain level below the ultimate a game can do. That is the mindset they have going in right off the bat, "I have X budget, what performance can I get?"

PS4 "early" adopters will not have had that choice. This supposed new model was not on the table when they bought their machine, they were buying it on the premise of "I'm buying the PS4, it'll be the best and only machine to play PS4 games until it's replaced with the PS5." Now they're facing the prospect of a better model being released later on, and as above, who knows how this will affect the original PS4 and quality of games.

Yes, they have the option of selling their original model and buying the new one, but that is not the same as having the choice from both at the start. It's going to cost you a lot more.

So someone tell me again how they're comparable?

Of course this is all assuming the rumours of different gaming performance between the two models is true. If it's not, and the only major difference is 4k video playback and a 4k Blu-Ray drive, it really is a non-issue.
 
If you bought a top of the range PC a few years ago you'd have the same issue.

Regarding the PS4, if there was no PS4K, the best a PS4 can do is something like 10 years behind a PC, so nothing changes there, it's already ridiculously outdated.

This whole thing is like a PC gamer getting pissed at a new graphics card being released that renders his/hers being not the absolute best for PC gaming anymore. Or early adopters of a game being pissed that people who wait a year to buy it get the game and any DLC really cheap.

I've owned my PS4 for ages, and If I knew when I bought it that a version with 4K video playback and a better GPU would come out in a couple of years time, I wouldn't have held off. I still would have bought it when I did, because I wouldn't be feeling ripped off, as I was getting the PS4 much earlier by buying the "vanilla" version, and this 4K version doesn't look significantly different TBH.

People spend twice what a PS4 cost new on a new iPhone every couple of years, but get all pissy about a slight upgrade to a console lol, it's quite petty.
 
This whole thing is like a PC gamer getting pissed at a new graphics card being released that renders his/hers being not the absolute best for PC gaming anymore. Or early adopters of a game being pissed that people who wait a year to buy it get the game and any DLC really cheap.

No it's not, because those people know that something better is coming. They know a better GPU is always around the corner, most people know if you want a while games are better value. They know that though, and have complete choice with their initial outlay.

With consoles the only thing you know, up until now, is that your console will be entirely superceded in 5+ years.

I've owned my PS4 for ages, and If I knew when I bought it that a version with 4K video playback and a better GPU would come out in a couple of years time, I wouldn't have held off. I still would have bought it when I did, because I wouldn't be feeling ripped off, as I was getting the PS4 much earlier by buying the "vanilla" version, and this 4K version doesn't look significantly different TBH.

Which would be fine because guess what? You would have had that choice up front. You couldn't then complain that the better version was, well, better, because you'd have made the choice to buy the cheaper version. A luxury current PS4 owners do not have.

Sure, they will have the option to upgrade/replace when the new model arrives but it's obviously not the same, it's going to cost you a lot more money.

People spend twice what a PS4 cost new on a new iPhone every couple of years, but get all pissy about a slight upgrade to a console lol, it's quite petty.

This again? Show me the data on people that buy phones every year in lump sums. I don't know anyone, they all get contract subsidised upgrades, so it's not the same. Also again, phone upgrades do not affect the core features of the device, which these days is phone calls, text and various internet usages, apps etc. Nobody is going to buy a phone and then "get pissy" because a new model is released that does better text messaging, because it's obviously not possible. People buy the newer models for other reasons - looks, better screen, being a bit faster to use etc.

Nobody is going to get too bothered if a console does this mid gen, and in fact that has happened since PS1. They come out with a better model that is more energy efficient, fixed bugs, etc but importantly the core function, gaming, remained the same. That is what people expect of a console generation.

I don't see how it's petty, like I said It doesn't personally affect me, I don't have a PS4 yet, but I can totally see how someone would be annoyed that the whole idea of the gaming console is potentially being changed mid gen, and how someone would feel as the loyal early adopter.

If Sony did this right off the bat with the PS5, I'd not find it anywhere near as big an issue, even at all, and I don't think too many people would take issue. They would know up front what the situation would be and have that all important up front choice.
 
No it's not, because those people know that something better is coming. They know a better GPU is always around the corner, most people know if you want a while games are better value. They know that though, and have complete choice with their initial outlay.

With consoles the only thing you know, up until now, is that your console will be entirely superceded in 5+ years.

PS4 owners also knew there were other machines better than the PS4 that played most of the games a PS4 could play, so having a slightly better PS4 out there doesn't affect how their PS4 performs in any way.

Sony couldn't have made a 4K enabled PS4 when the PS4 was being developed, so unless they delayed the console for 3 years, they couldn't have given the customers the choice on specs. Just because there is a PS4 being sold now, doesn't mean an upgraded version would be a bad idea. If they can all play the same games, it makes no difference to the existing PS4 owners, it just gives the option for new buyers, or people interested in 4K video playback.


This again? Show me the data on people that buy phones every year in lump sums. I don't know anyone, they all get contract subsidised upgrades, so it's not the same. Also again, phone upgrades do not affect the core features of the device, which these days is phone calls, text and various internet usages, apps etc. Nobody is going to buy a phone and then "get pissy" because a new model is released that does better text messaging, because it's obviously not possible. People buy the newer models for other reasons - looks, better screen, being a bit faster to use etc.

The existence of a 4K video enabled PS4 doesn't affect the core functionality of the existing PS4 either, as they'll all play the same games. The PS4K will be able to play higher res video, and may have the ability to display better graphics in some games, which is akin to a phone having a better camera, or more memory than it's predecessor.


Nobody is going to get too bothered if a console does this mid gen, and in fact that has happened since PS1. They come out with a better model that is more energy efficient, fixed bugs, etc but importantly the core function, gaming, remained the same. That is what people expect of a console generation.
Many consoles have been designed with mid life updates in mind. It's nothing new, and just because recent consoles have been designed to be fixed spec for 5+ years, doesn't mean it always has to be that way forever.

Nothing you've just said affects the PS4 in any way, so I don't see why current PS4 owners would care, let alone be upset about it. As I've already said, I have owned a PS4 for a couple of years now, and I couldn't care less about PS4K, and I don't intend on upgrading to one. It's existence won't affect me or how my PS4 works, and if people want a cheap 4K movie player that happens to play PS4 games, then why not?
 
The only sensible decision to buy PS4K upon release is if you have 4K tv and wanted to have the 4K Bluray player, those are the main reason PS4K exist. If you don't have 4K tv or wanted to play 4k bluray movies, PS4K is not a wise decision for upgrade but maybe a good choice for 1st time buy even if only owning 1080p tv.

For gaming, the only possible ability for PS4K is to upscale games to 4K res, I highly doubt devs can make games with native 4k res on PS4K ( maybe lightweight PSN games in terms of graphics )

They will make games to work with PS4 at 1080p or less ( as these are the current market base-regular PS4 ), then include specific tweaks for PS4K, upscaler and possible details changes ( eg : shadow and anti aliasing may be adjusted ) for best visual possible on 4K res that may only be activated via patch for games released prior to PS4K release or PS4K titles ( akin to 3D titles on PS3 )

IMO, games that run 30fps on regular PS4 ( 1080p or less ) won't suddenly run at 60fps on PS4K when outputting 4k res ( upscaled ), there's not enough juice, unless devs make changes on graphic details.

The only advantage in gaming that I could think of besides upscaling on PS4K, is when running games in 1080p mode, devs may do special tweaks for post PS4K release games or via patch on already released games to make use of the extra GPU/CPU power.

This may be dev dependent as I can imagine PS4K have 2 discreet hardware profile for games, regular PS4 and PS4K to maintain compatibility for all games ( one way that Sony could do it - just my guess ). If Sony is playing it safe, they will impose strict conformity in performance in 1080p output between regular PS4 and PS4K, that means the hardware profile for regular PS4 1080p output on PS4K may be locked ( GPU and CPU speed for instance will emulate regular PS4 with no cap when game exceeds regular PS4 limit - more stable fps like say for example PCars 1080p full grid race with weather may stay locked at 60fps instead of fluctuating like in regular PS4 - this may only noticeable when the game exceeds the regular PS4 power often or games that can't maintain locked 30/60fps )

There's also a concern for power consumption, PS4K will definitely consume much more power as it has 2x the GPU power and better CPU.

With PS4K release, I think Sony will slowly discontinue regular PS4, just like when PS3 Super Slim came out, Slim was going away.

Sony decision to release PS4K must have been a strategic step for 4K TV which are now the main line up models offered by major brands. I think in 2 years time after PS4K release when there is possibility for a price drop for the PS4K, regular PS4 may be very hard to find brand new.
 
The only sensible decision to buy PS4K upon release is if you have 4K tv and wanted to have the 4K Bluray player, those are the main reason PS4K exist. If you don't have 4K tv or wanted to play 4k bluray movies, PS4K is not a wise decision for upgrade but maybe a good choice for 1st time buy even if only owning 1080p tv.

For gaming, the only possible ability for PS4K is to upscale games to 4K res, I highly doubt devs can make games with native 4k res on PS4K ( maybe lightweight PSN games in terms of graphics )

They will make games to work with PS4 at 1080p or less ( as these are the current market base-regular PS4 ), then include specific tweaks for PS4K, upscaler and possible details changes ( eg : shadow and anti aliasing may be adjusted ) for best visual possible on 4K res that may only be activated via patch for games released prior to PS4K release or PS4K titles ( akin to 3D titles on PS3 )

IMO, games that run 30fps on regular PS4 ( 1080p or less ) won't suddenly run at 60fps on PS4K when outputting 4k res ( upscaled ), there's not enough juice, unless devs make changes on graphic details.

The only advantage in gaming that I could think of besides upscaling on PS4K, is when running games in 1080p mode, devs may do special tweaks for post PS4K release games or via patch on already released games to make use of the extra GPU/CPU power.

This may be dev dependent as I can imagine PS4K have 2 discreet hardware profile for games, regular PS4 and PS4K to maintain compatibility for all games ( one way that Sony could do it - just my guess ). If Sony is playing it safe, they will impose strict conformity in performance in 1080p output between regular PS4 and PS4K, that means the hardware profile for regular PS4 1080p output on PS4K may be locked ( GPU and CPU speed for instance will emulate regular PS4 with no cap when game exceeds regular PS4 limit - more stable fps like say for example PCars 1080p full grid race with weather may stay locked at 60fps instead of fluctuating like in regular PS4 - this may only noticeable when the game exceeds the regular PS4 power often or games that can't maintain locked 30/60fps )

There's also a concern for power consumption, PS4K will definitely consume much more power as it has 2x the GPU power and better CPU.

With PS4K release, I think Sony will slowly discontinue regular PS4, just like when PS3 Super Slim came out, Slim was going away.

Sony decision to release PS4K must have been a strategic step for 4K TV which are now the main line up models offered by major brands. I think in 2 years time after PS4K release when there is possibility for a price drop for the PS4K, regular PS4 may be very hard to find brand new.

Yeah this is pretty much what I was thinking, and the guy that leaked all the stuff we know on GAF said that games won't suddenly be worse on PS4 (than they would have been otherwise), but that some games might just run a little better on PS4K than the PS4 would be capable of. So 30fps PS4 games might get an unlocked frame rate when played on PS4K. And who knows, maybe some small things like AA would get a small boost alongside the upscaling.
 
Yeah this is pretty much what I was thinking, and the guy that leaked all the stuff we know on GAF said that games won't suddenly be worse on PS4 (than they would have been otherwise), but that some games might just run a little better on PS4K than the PS4 would be capable of. So 30fps PS4 games might get an unlocked frame rate when played on PS4K. And who knows, maybe some small things like AA would get a small boost alongside the upscaling.

Upscaling from 1080p to 4K consume a lot of GPU power for games ( especially on heavy demanding graphics games ), while for video may be lighter. This is another feature that PS4K may be interesting to some who use it as media center, upscaling video output from 1080 or lower res to 4K, similar to PS3 upscaler when playing video content ( may be better than the 4K tv doing it, mostly the top end models 4k tv that do handsome job of upscaling to 4K ) That leaves the 4K tv to display native 4k mode.

For AA, upscaling to 4K may allow AA to be reduced or removed altogether, depending on the game.
 
Upscaling from 1080p to 4K consume a lot of GPU power for games ( especially on heavy demanding graphics games ), while for video may be lighter. This is another feature that PS4K may be interesting to some who use it as media center, upscaling video output from 1080 or lower res to 4K, similar to PS3 upscaler when playing video content ( may be better than the 4K tv doing it, mostly the top end models 4k tv that do handsome job of upscaling to 4K ) That leaves the 4K tv to display native 4k mode.

For AA, upscaling to 4K may allow AA to be reduced or removed altogether, depending on the game.

Fair enough, that is a good point. 4K is significantly more than 1080p so I guess pretty much all of that extra GPU grunt would be consumed by just the upscaling. In that case, Sony might even stipulate that any dev working on games for PS4/PS4k would have to make the games identical, and only use the extra grunt of the PS4k to upscale to 4k resolution. That way there's not two specs of graphics for a game, for those who would care about that, and devs wouldn't be trading the upscaling for better graphics at 1080p, which might annoy Sony if they're advertising the PS4k as a 4k video and gaming machine.

The biggest benefit if they did that would be for people who buy PSVR, as resolution becomes a big deal when the screens are less than an inch from your eyes.
 
To be blunt, the comparisons to PC's were stupid when they began, and they're stupid now.

You're willfully comparing a platform that's modular in nature, where any one component can be swapped out to improve the overall performance whether it be in productivity or gaming, to a platform that is purposefully designed as a one-size-fits-all for the express purpose of drawing everything from said platform – a luxury PC's do not have because there are literally an infinite number of variables?

Is it not obvious the disparity this will create? It's not "forward thinking" and it isn't "challenging the inevitable," it's creating a model where one is clearly going to be favored over the other because it offers more to the developers, giving them just that little bit more freedom for their game engines to run without sacrifice.

Then you have to consider the possibility that its name, "PS4K," is potentially a misnomer as it won't be able to output a native 4K signal to begin with. It will only offer an improved 1080p/60fps experience for those without a 4K set, and an upscaled experience for those with one.

If this is where consoles are going then, quite frankly, I don't need one anymore because I have a PC for that.
 
All this complaining about an upgraded PS4, yet nobody bats an eyelid when Microsoft makes actual, literal PCs into upgraded Xbox Ones via Windows 10...
 
Sony should have just stick with PS4, new model that replaces the old PS4 with special 4K SKU :D now capable of 4K video, and slowly discontinue the old PS4.

/s
 
If this is where consoles are going then, quite frankly, I don't need one anymore because I have a PC for that.

Quite frankly, the only reason anyone ever needed a console in the past decade was for the exclusive games. So considering the route the Xbox is going (basically a Win 10 Steam Box), you're correct on that front.

Sony and Nintendo don't have their own PC operating system to make that kind of transition, so it's down to if and when they decide the money's not in the platform and abandon that business model in favor of putting out their games on PC. Probably not any time soon, if ever... so I'll still be buying into their ecosystems, because they'll always have exclusives I want to play.
 
All this complaining about an upgraded PS4, yet nobody bats an eyelid when Microsoft makes actual, literal PCs into upgraded Xbox Ones via Windows 10...

...April Fools? Because there's no way you believe that.

http://www.thebitbag.com/quantum-break-pc-release-freaks-out-xbox-one-owners/132369
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-exec-explains-quantum-break-pc-release-c/1100-6434780/
http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/11/10966970/xbox-one-anger-quantum-break

I could link more but you get the point. There were also a number of videos attacking it, and Phil Spencer. As for FM6: Apex, well, you can just venture into the appropriate thread if you want to see that mess in the early days following the initial announcement.
 
My bad, I must've read "Quantum Break PC release freaks out Xbox One owners" as "Quantum Break PC release freaks out nobody".


Just kidding. I own the One Xbox One. And I'll readily admit that a wave of indignation very briefly washed over me when FM6 Apex was announced... Here, I bought an XB1 for Forza despite having a beastly supercomputer. But I quickly realized how silly my anger was.

And Xbox One owners who don't have computers vastly superior to the XB1 have literally no reason to be upset, other than being childish imbeciles of course.
 
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... the guy that leaked all the stuff we know on GAF said that games won't suddenly be worse on PS4 (than they would have been otherwise), but that some games might just run a little better on PS4K than the PS4 would be capable of.

Not exactly his initial statement:

OsirisBlack
… It was stated plainly and with no room for interpretation that there are developers that already have development kits for the PS4K and that they are making games that will directly target and take advantage of the higher specs of the PS4K. It was also stated that these games will in fact work for the PS4 but with considerable sacrifices made to performance. …


If true, multi-platform developers will probably target the widest available number making the hardware upgrade moot; First party could therefore be reasonably incited to showcase the upgraded spec benefits. A coexistence of 2 specs within the same generation of console will inevitably affect PS4 game development.
 
If you bought a top of the range PC a few years ago you'd have the same issue.

You wouldn't, because everyone knows new PC hardware is at most 18 months away, sometimes less. Look at the Broadwell CPUs for instance, they were out for a handful of months before Skylake came and superceded them. In addition, a top of the range PC from 2011 is still capable of outperforming a PS4 today - in some situations - so PCs do also age a lot better.

The way consoles work is you pay a few hundred of your favourite currency and get a platform that will 'just work' and remain the same until the next generation comes out years down the line. The PS4 isn't old enough to be replaced by another full-price console, unless it is just a redesign with a 4k blu ray drive.

Another alternative could be that this new PS4k is built specifically with VR in mind and perhaps Sony will prohibit developers from having too much disparity between the PS4 and PS4k versions beyond resolution and frame rate. The way I see it, if you're willing to buy a VR unit (which is still in the 'gimmick' stage as there are no killer apps that would take advantage of it) then you'd probably be willing to buy a new console that'd allow you to use it properly. If you're not into VR, this could be something you could safely ignore depending on how Sony handles it.
 
Everyone says this isn't going to affect the ps4 but it is the ps4 games are full of bugs because the ps4 can't handle hight end games so bringing a console with a fast processer and gpu is going to change the performance of the console which means the ps4 is lacking in performance.. You go on the browser on your ps4 then go to back to your home screen and scroll through the menus you will see load of lag..who ever brings phones into this must be thick in the head as 95 percent of people get phones on contract every 2 years consoles don't come on a contract and a total different market..
 
Not exactly his initial statement:
Didn't say it was in his initial statement, but if you read all of his posts you'd have read this one:

"I got a bit more information today but I am trying to find out who all knows about it before posting.

Also the word "Sacrifices" is being blown out of proportion. There are sacrifices made when making a console version of a game as compared to a PC game or when making an XB1 game as compared to a PS4 game. Don't expect PS4 games to all of a sudden become **** just expect them to run better on PS4K. I would expect a game that is really pushing the graphics envelope to run at 1080p 60fps on PS4K while the same game might run at 900p 60/30fps on PS4. Just the way I took it."


The way consoles work is you pay a few hundred of your favourite currency and get a platform that will 'just work' and remain the same until the next generation comes out years down the line. The PS4 isn't old enough to be replaced by another full-price console, unless it is just a redesign with a 4k blu ray drive.

Another alternative could be that this new PS4k is built specifically with VR in mind and perhaps Sony will prohibit developers from having too much disparity between the PS4 and PS4k versions beyond resolution and frame rate. The way I see it, if you're willing to buy a VR unit (which is still in the 'gimmick' stage as there are no killer apps that would take advantage of it) then you'd probably be willing to buy a new console that'd allow you to use it properly. If you're not into VR, this could be something you could safely ignore depending on how Sony handles it.

What you've described here seems to be more or less what Sony is doing with this PS4k. 4K movie and upscaling for games, requiring extra grunt, and with the purpose of better performance of the PSVR.
 
So games could suffer major frame-rates dips without that being a problem? Just because the updated GPU offers a stable performance means PS4 games will not need to be optimized for the initial generation anymore?
 
Bugs don't have an impact on overall game performance. :rolleyes:
So graphical bugs where items appear like people cars and building because the processor or gpu isn't fast enough your not going to get this on the ps4k if it is real and it's going to start a console war
 
So graphical bugs where items appear like people cars and building because the processor or gpu isn't fast enough your not going to get this on the ps4k if it is real and it's going to start a console war
Pop-in/Pop-out is not a bug.
 
Pop-in/Pop-out is not a bug.
It is a graphical bug and this was quoted from them that leaked the information stated.. the games will in fact work for the PS4 but with considerable sacrifices made to performance
 
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Sounds like they're not going for too high performance so shouldn't overshadow PS5. Smaller and more powerful which should mean it should be quite profitable still even at $399, maybe more than current PS4. Also should allow developers whose games couldn't get the performance required for VR a much better chance. See as a win-win situation. I had a very similar business idea in college probably over 8 years ago so it's awesome to see it potentially happening by the big players in the industry. 👍
 
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