Sony launches PlayStation 4 Pro, with 4K gaming and HDR video

The company also revealed a PS4 Slim, the same as the existing console but in a much reduced size

Andrew Griffin
Thursday 08 September 2016 09:11 BST
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PlayStation 4 Pro - reveal trailer

Sony has released a new PlayStation – and perhaps cleared the way for far more to come very soon.

The new console, named the PlayStation 4 Pro, features 4K gaming for the first time on any mainstream console.

It will also allow players to watch videos using high dynamic range (HDR), a TV technology that makes videos of a much higher quality. Games will also be able to use that technology, another first for a mainstream console.

At the same New York event, held just hours after the Apple one, Sony also released a slimmed down version of the PS4. That console has the same technology as the existing one but in a much smaller body.

No games will be exclusive to any particular console, despite the various different capabilities of each. Sony said that it was “incredibly important” that there is only one PlayStation audience.

Some have suggested that the new, slightly improved console could lead to a market that sees releases far more often than the usual cycle, and more like smartphones that include gradual improvements.

PlayStation chief Andrew House said: "More than three and a half years ago, I stood on stage in New York to unveil PlayStation 4, which captured our vision for the future of gaming.

"That vision placed the gamer at the centre of the PlayStation ecosystem and empowered developers to create transformative experiences.

"This afternoon I returned to New York for another PlayStation meeting to discuss the evolution of the PlayStation 4 platform and introduce PS4 Pro. This new high-end PS4 will sit alongside the new slimmer, lighter PS4, which we officially unveiled today."

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The PS 4 Pro will launch on November 10 and will come with a one terabyte hard drive as well as more power to support PlayStation VR, which launches in October.

The slimmer PS 4 is 30% smaller, 16% lighter and 28% more power efficient, Mr House said, and will go on sale for 299 US dollars (£224), wiith the Pro at 399 US dollars (£299).

The two consoles will be fierce opposition for Microsoft's new slimmer Xbox One S and its high-powered Project Scorpio, which will launch at the end of next year.

PlayStation confirmed that most of the major games titles due to launch in the coming months, including Call Of Duty Infinite Warfare, will be able to support the PS Pro's extra capabilities straight out of the box.

Additional reporting by agencies

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