STACK NZ November 2016 Issue 79

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t wasn't that long ago
that video game
industry analysts were
prophesying the
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
would be the final traditional console
offerings from Sony and Microsoft. Trend
forecasting is a tricky business.
To be fair, before leaks surfaced at the
beginning of 2016 confirming the existence of
a new PlayStation, few outside of the furtive
inner circle at Sony would have forseen a new
hardware release just three years after its most
recent console cycle.
For PlayStation, every six years or so has
been the new hardware announcement modus
operandi for the last four generations. With
PS3, the implementation of online firmware
updates incrementally upgraded the system’s
functionality, but there were
limitations. For the contemporary
consumer, however, the need for
quicker, smarter and more innovative
technology has never been greater.
Aligning console hardware with the
cyclical frequency of the smartphone
business shouldn't come as a
great surprise, and the launch of
PlayStation 4 Pro appears to be a
logical progression.
Of course, the Pro isn’t a new
console but an enhanced model of
the existing PS4. It's designed to
cater for gamers who are looking for
an improved gaming experience and
want to take full advantage of the
tech now available to them.
“It’s about giving the gamers
choice,” says Managing Director of
Sony Computer Entertainment ANZ
Michael Ephraim, who we caught
up with in Sydney recently. “You’ve
got higher end gamers that want
more of the latest and greatest. It
is something very different, but we
think it’s the right time to do that – if
you want a high-end spec machine
you’ve got it, or you’ve got the base
model that is more affordable."
There’s little doubt that 4K technology is
finally starting to gain traction and penetrate the
market. Affordability is now at a level that will
encourage consumers to upgrade their dated
equipment and migrate to the format. According
to Ephraim, Australia is already ahead of the
curve on adoption compared to Europe. The
introduction of 4K, together with High Dynamic
Range (HDR) compatible TVs, was the prime
motivator behind the conception of the Pro.
“If you look at the innovations like 4K and
HDR, we’re just delivering an enhanced version
of PlayStation so that people can utilise and
maximise their investment in a 4K TV,” explains
Ephraim.
“4K is definitely going to be a standard –
unlike 3D that didn’t really work – and people
can see the benefit of 4K and HDR. We want to
ensure that PlayStation is up to date for people
that want the enhanced experience, but the
standard PlayStation does everything
the Pro does as well. It plays
all the same games it plays
with VR.”
And that’s an
important component
to the introduction of
PlayStation 4 Pro:
gamers won’t have to
fork out for exclusive
games for the console.
Everything you play on
the PS4, you can play on the Pro. With more
processing power and increased speeds, the
Pro will deliver a better looking and an overall
smoother experience.
“Every PS4 game will play on a standard PS4
and a PlayStation 4 Pro,” confirms Director of
Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment
Australia, Patrick Lagana. “If you’ve got a
PlayStation 4 Pro you’ll get the added benefits
that it offers. There’s lots of other things that
developers can use that horsepower on to
enhance the overall game. It will always be the
same disc that consumers buy that will go into
both consoles.”
With the introduction of the PlayStation
4 Pro, can gamers expect to see updated
hardware now dropping every three years from
Sony?
“I don’t think so,” says Michael Ephraim. “I
don’t know if this sets a cadence that’s going to
happen all the time.
“4K is a new technology innovation that
impacts how people enjoy entertainment,
and PlayStation Pro has come out to deliver a
high-end experience because of the technology
around it.”
This month, Sony introduces the PlayStation 4 Pro – a console
designed for gamers seeking the best experience that current
technology has to offer. Words Paul Jones
GO PRO
GAMES FEATURE
16 NOVEMBER 2016
GAMES
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