I have owned every PlayStation console there has ever been, even during that tricky period when a PlayStation 3 cost as much as a mail order bride (which I know purely through research, of course). Sure, I’ve dabbled with Xbox, too, having had all of the consoles to date, but there’s just something that keeps bringing me back to Sony’s slabs of entertainment.
When rumours first started circulating that the current console generation would be receiving a mid-term hardware upgrade, I wasn’t impressed; even tempted to start saving for a proper gaming PC. It’s an alienating move to ask your fanbase to pay a big sum of money while promising years of entertainment, but then to suggest that they should take a journey down a slightly different alley because teraflops.
The appeal of consoles comes down to two simple factors:
1. Long life at a cheaper price than a PC.
2. Straightforward to just pick up and play.
The PlayStation 4 Pro looks like it wants to undo that. By trying to divvy up preference between models and inadvertently causing confusion about how it all works, they’re taking the Apple route. The PlayStation 4, not even three years old yet, is going to be positioned as the iPhone 6C to the Pro’s iPhone 6S, whether Sony admit it or not. You can either upgrade and get the most out of the system, or get left behind, as they so condescendingly alluded to on their blog:
“If you’re a gamer that wants to be at the forefront of innovation, PS4 Pro is for you.”
It isn’t even a one-time upgrade, either – to make the most of it, you’re going to need a 4K TV, as Sony so deliberately kept pushing during their conference. Simple upscaling is possible with a relatively standard HD TV, but being able to see a bush slightly clearer in the distance doesn’t quite earn the extra money that Sony seems to think is burning a hole in consumers’ pockets.
The PlayStation 4 Pro, along with the Scorpio, doesn’t have exclusive games, but who’s to say another mid-term hardware update in the future won’t go that route? Based on the success of Pro and Scorpio, is it too outlandish to suggest that there could be exclusive games for these “spin-offs”? This could prove to be the start of something that I, and probably a few others, aren’t too comfortable with. If this is the way console generations will go from now on, asking you to pay extra for slightly newer versions of something you’ve already paid for, the line between a console and PC will get harder and harder to notice.
Barring a lottery win, the PlayStation 4 Pro is something I am going to swerve. As a self-confessed Sony fanboy of fifteen years, I don’t think I will be able to stop myself from glancing at WikiHows on building a decent gaming rig whenever I hear the word “teraflops” anymore.
Saying that, though, give me folders and I am yours forever, Sony.
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