The new PS4 Pro is marketed as ‘the super-charged PS4, the world’s most powerful console.’ If that’s not enough to make gamers rush out and buy it, we don’t know what is. But is it really worth its $350 price tag, when you can pick up a PS4 for $100 less?
The PS4 is aimed at serious gamers and videophiles who own the latest 4k technology – which is all well and good, provided it actually works. What most people don’t realize, however, is that improved resolution, which is detectable by the human eye, is dependent not only on pixels but also on screen size and distance too.
Noticing a difference in resolution is completely dependent on how large the screen is and close you are willing to sit in front of it. For example, to actually detect the full benefit of higher than 1080p resolution on a 40 inch 4K TV, one would have to sit no further than 2.5 feet away from the screen.
Most of us sit at least 3x that length from our living room TVs. That would mean that to enjoy the full benefit of the PS4 Pro in the average living room one would have to have, at the very least, a 120 inch screen. To further put this in perspective, if you sit at the bare minimum of 5.5 feet away from your TV, you will need an 80 inch 4K TV (let’s hope Santa has been especially benevolent this year), and if you sit the more realistic distance of 10 feet, you will need a 150 inch screen. With 1080p, however, you can enjoy the full benefit at a distance of around 6 feet on a 48 inch TV, or the full benefit at 10 feet on a still modest, and now very affordable, 75-80 inch TV.
This not only raises the question is the new PS4 Pro worth it, but is 4K in general worth it? If you’re a bit short of cash this holiday season, we suggest that you take the Christmas money your granny gave you and put it towards a new 2k TV, instead of putting it on a PS4 Pro. This way you know for sure that you’re getting the very best out of what you’ve got, instead of wasting money on a better picture that only your cat can appreciate it.
Written by M.P. Swinburn
