Is it worth side-grading to? “We think that for a really substantial period of time this is the PlayStation 4 lineup”.
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Earlier this week, Sony had launched their latest mid-year refresh with their new PlayStation 4 Pro in NY.
Based on reports, PC gamers believe that the PC remains as the superior platform, given that there are title releases on PC that are not available on consoles, including the computing power and better graphics features.
The key visual differences are the disappearance of the glossy removable panel, the segmented design with the dividing LED light strip and the pointed corners.
The biggest improvement is a strip of light added to the top of the controller, unlike the old controller which had only a light on the front.
Whereas the first PS4 had a finish that mixed shiny plastics with matte ones, the PS4 Slim goes with a simple matte black finish all over. It’s just not as severe a design, feeling more inviting while allowing Sony to cut corners (literally) and production costs. Quite impressively so when idling at the main menu.
The Quick Menu, meanwhile, now only covers a portion of the screen when you bring it up, so you don’t have to leave your game to enter a party or. see who among your friends are online. It’s not to the same degree as my original PS4, though, and with a different tone that lacks a certain whining undertone.
There is the alternative of a downclocked version of AMD’s next-gen Vega technology.
The quick menu does still provide easy access to all the same power options as before, but there’s more. Bafflingly, Sony chose not to support 4K Blu-ray on its otherwise awesome 4K machine. I would say this is not a massive upgrade though, more often than not, game sounds are loud enough to drown out whatever noise the console makes.
Alongside this, another shortcut in the PS4 Slim is with the omission of the optical output.
Alternatively, you are able to skip Wi-Fi or ethernet altogether and just pop in a game. A folder can be maintained on the home screen by selecting the “Add to new folder” option from the “Options” button whereas a folder can be created in the library by choosing the “Create New” option while navigating to the Folders icon. You still have to deal with the horizontal media bar, but at least you have a greater measure of control over what appears there.
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Hands down, Sony wins it here.
