It’s hard to believe that in less than two weeks, Sony is launching PS4 Pro, a more powerful, 4K-ready gaming machine. With each new console that’s released, the obvious and ‘easy’ change is more horsepower – faster CPU/GPU, and more RAM etc. The PS4 Pro is no different, though the leaps you’ll get from it are less than when going from PS2 to PS3 or PS3 to PS4 – but don’t take that to mean that you won’t be getting some spectacular difference, especially if you have a 4K HDR TV.

Still, specs rarely tell the whole picture. As Naughty Dog Lead Programmer Christian Gyrling explains, it’s what you do with those specs.

 You can crunch numbers all day, but ultimately it’s about what you do with the numbers and what you do with the power. The more than double the power of the GPU, the boosted clock rate of the CPUs allowing those smoother frame rates, being able to support our existing PS4 fanbase without really taking anything away from them… Like, all we’re doing is adding stuff, adding HDR support even to the base PS4 owners. This patch that’ll be available for release in November will allow both PS4 Pro owners and regular PS4 owners with an HDR-compatible TV or a 4K TV to enjoy the benefits.

That’s really where it comes from. Tech is only there to support. Ultimately you’ll see vastly different qualities of games on any game console. You can say, well, specs are one thing, but look at the diverse difference in games – it really comes down to what you do with those specs. 

And he’s absolutely right – you might take all the additional power allocated by PS4 Pro and offer the most realistic looking rendering of guns, but will that actually impact the gameplay? On the other hand, what if you focus purely on lighting and deliver a world with fluid shifting between daytime/night and indoor/outdoor. At first that might seem trivial, but if the world is immersive enough, then that technical achievement takes you one step further in helping you suspend your disbelief and brings the world further to life.

Another example would be gameplay sequences not possible before due to technical limitations that now won’t be there. Either way, I think those who get a PS4 Pro will be in for a treat.

Discuss:

Where would you like to see developers focus their energy with PS4 Pro?

[Via VG247]