We set the new (and upcoming) consoles against each other in the battle for your money.
Sony’s PlayStation Meeting 2016 last night was the launchpad for two new consoles from the tech giant; the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro. So how exactly do these new devices compare to Microsoft’s recent Xbox One S and Xbox Scorpio?
PS4 Slim
First let’s get it out there that the PS4 Slim is nothing but a facelift for the PlayStation 4, Aside from a slimmer body and supposed improved energy efficiency, nothing else has changed here. It will be available in “most markets” on September 15 for US $299.
PS4 Pro
The PS4 Pro on the other hand (aka PS4 Neo), is where Sony attempts to up its game. The company said the PS4 Pro will “stand alongside and complement the original PS4" with 4K and HDR. Game disks and downloads will work on both editions of the consoles.
The PS4 Pro has 4.2 teraFLOPS of processing power, double that of the PS4, and 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, all of which Sony says can improve the look of new and pre-existing games. The PS4 Pro also has a 1TB hard drive, with 4K and HDR capability, as well as support for the new PlayStation VR headset. The console uses up to 310W of power and weighs in at a hefty 3.3kg.
While the addition of high dynamic resolution is great here, it’s important to note that the feature is useless if you don’t have an HDR-enabled television. As far 4K goes, Sony has made the odd decision to have the PS4 Pro not support 4K Blu-ray. That means the only way you can actually watch 4K content through the console is through the Netflix app, due to launch when the console does, or YouTube.
The PS4 Pro will launch November 10 for US $399. In addition, Sony has also said it will make an upgrade available that will enable all 40 million users of its PlayStation 4 console to upgrade to HDR.
Xbox One S
On the other side of the console war, the Xbox One S actually blows the PS4 Slim out of the water. It has both HDR and 4K support (as well as allowing 4K Blu-ray playback), and is available for the same price of US $299. Additionally, while it’s not quite close to the PS4 Pro’s processing power, it’s smaller than the original Xbox One, and even has an updated controller with Bluetooth.
Xbox Scorpio
While we haven’t heard a lot about the new flagship Microsoft console, the company seems supremely confident going up against Sony’s new hardware. Speaking to IGN, Albert Penello, senior director of product management and planning at Xbox, said, “ I believe that the difference between what we’re going to deliver with Scorpio from a performance perspective and PS4 Pro will be obvious to customers.”
What we do know so far is that the Scorpio will feature a mind-boggling 6 TFLOPS of processing firepower, miles above the original Xbox One’s 1.31 TFLOPS. It will also support 4K and HDR gaming at 60fps, and reports indicate it might be able to run VR without the need for additional external hardware boxes like with the PS VR. All Xbox games coming up will also be playable across the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox Scorpio.
The verdict
As it stands right now, the Xbox One S is the best value for money on the market. Not only does it have the 4K and HDR of the PS4 Pro, it also supports Blu-ray, and is smaller than Sony’s premium console.
As for the higher end, sure, Sony’s VR headset goes on sale Oct 30, with 50 titles out by the end of the year, but there’s one thing to consider. We may not know the price of the Xbox Scorpio or even when it’s releasing, but it’s quite likely it’ll beat Sony’s offering hands down. Sure, it might be expensive (likely around US $499) but that is an investment worth making. Not only will you have the better console at your disposal, but you’ll also have the freedom of Microsoft’s “Play Anywhere”. That way, if you have a powerful enough system, all your games will be cross platform, including the VR titles that will eventually come to Scorpio’s VR.
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 "console gaming, PS4 Slim, PS4 Pro, Xbox One S, Xbox Scorpio, Sony, Microsoft, PlayStation VR")
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