5 PS4 Pro Decisions That Came Back to Bite Sony

UHD Blu-ray

One of the big absences when it came to the PS4 Pro’s specs was its lack of an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Capable of utilizing the 4K resolution, the UHD blu-ray medium is relatively new but offers an unparalleled picture quality. Considering the PS4 Pro is a system primarily used to take advantage of the newly emerging 4K TV market, the inability to watch the medium that offers the best quality seems like a missed opportunity.

Though Andrew House did explain that their research had shown players used streaming services on their PS4 over physical media, it still would have been a nice inclusion to make the system feel that little bit more like a comprehensive 4K machine. Especially when the cheaper Xbox One S has the drive.

Bigger HDD

Considering the huge size of games releasing on the current generation, filling the original PS4’s 500GB hard drive really didn’t take that much doing. While revisions then upped the hard drive to 1TB, if you find yourself picking up a majority of the big releases coming to the system, you’ll be able to fill this up relatively quickly too.

With the patches that optimize titles to make use of the PS4 Pro adding even more file size to these installs, it would have been a nice inclusion for the Pro to further up the hard drive size. Storage solution costs continue to decrease, too, and with the PS4 still unable to use external storage solutions for install files, a 2TB hard drive would have made the Pro feel even more of a step up from the original.

Pro Controller

Microsoft has seen considerable success in its ventures to expand the range of Xbox One controllers to players. Whether it’s the Elite controller offering a number of customization options and improvements over the standard pad, or the Xbox Design Lab that allows players to design and personalize an Xbox One controller, the standard DualShock 4 and its small number of color variants feel a little lackluster.

Considering the name of the system, you wouldn’t have been blamed for thinking that the DualShock 4 v2.0 may have brought more than just a light strip across the touchpad and the USB input method. When the likes of Scuf and other third parties see success in offering players custom controllers, the lack of innovations when it comes to the new DualShock 4 is disappointing and a huge missed opportunity for Sony.

Native 4K

Yet another disappointment that emerged following the Pro’s reveal was its half-baked attempt at 4K gaming. While the checkerboard upscaling process definitely offers a display close to that of a native 4K experience, the way in which some developers are utilizing the power of the PS4 Pro has been a little hit and miss when it comes to results.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s Pro support was largely considered a disappointing show for the amount of power on offer and it’s not alone. On the other hand, the likes of Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of Mordor look stunning thanks to the 4K and HDR combo.

Had the PS4 Pro been powerful enough to accommodate all games at native 4K and had the support from developers been there to utilize power a little more effectively, the Pro would be looking like a far more substantial upgrade to the general player base.

Backwards Compatibility

It’s a long shot, we know, but considering Sony was making revisions to the internals of the PS4, it was possible that some form of hardware or software amendments could have been made to allow backwards compatibility so players could replay classics from years gone by. Though Sony did state that the two systems simply were too different to work, Microsoft initially said the same thing before later implementing the feature.

Had Sony really wanted to make the PS4 Pro stand out as a significant upgrade and worthwhile purchase for those lacking a 4K TV, adding in one of the glaring omissions from the original system would have been the perfect option. Alternatively, some form of extended free trial or subscription to the PlayStation Now streaming service may have made the Pro a more lucrative purchase to those on the fence and help to promote the largely ignored service.