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Honest question: why is everyone around here so obsessed with the idea of a "pro" versions of current gen consoles?

Drizzlehell

Banned
Why such stupid threads? Why concern over what people buy?
What's wrong with options for the consumer?
If you think that another Pro generation won't have a wider impact on how games are going to be made and how much worse they'll be to play on the older versions of the console then you must be delusional. This won't be a situation where some people would benefit while the rest of us stay where we are. There are plenty of examples of games that ran like crap on base PS4 compared to their Pro counterparts because developers kept pushing the graphics to the point where it was getting too much for the older hardware, and optimization was clearly not a priority in those cases.
 
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Zuzu

Member
How about just sticking to the ones we already have and letting the generation run its course before having to shell out another few hundred bucks?
Because some of us desire the performance a Pro console provides and we’re happy to shell out another few hundred bucks.
As for myself, I resent the idea that merely 2 or 3 years after I spent a bunch of cash on a new console, I would have to do it again just to keep up with the highest possible fidelity. Not that I care about it, though. I'm kind of a frugal gamer. I only upgrade my PCs once I stumble upon a game that is genuinely unplayable and starts to look like cat piss. I could also care less if console games start running at 30 FPS again, particularly when the price to avoid it is so high.
If you don’t care about the highest fidelity then you don’t have to shell out for a Pro. You’re current console will continue to play every game. But some of us do care and some of us do have a problem with 30fps gaming so the Pro console exists to provide a option for those of us that care.
60 FPS is like water in that Mad Max movie anyway. Once you get addicted to it, you will resent its absence.
Exactly and that’s why a Pro console will be great for those of us who love 60fps (or more). It will likely satiate our thirst for 60fps more regularly than the base console.
I prefer the idea of waiting the entire generation out instead of buying a so-called "upgraded" console halfway through.
You prefer the idea of waiting the entire generation before upgrading? Then you can do that! Keep your PS5 until 2028 and enjoy it. There’s nothing wrong with that. But why should all of use have to do that? If some of us are willing to purchase a mid-gen upgrade than what’s wrong with offering a product for those of us willing to buy it? Some of us don’t want to wait until 2028.
Why didn't they do it right the first time around then?
They did do it right the first time. The consoles that were released in 2020 were state of the art for their price point and the technology available at the time. But four years on and technology will have moved on a lot. Sony at least can offer us something new with the technology available today (or in the near future) and for a good price point. Therefore, they can offer a nice Pro console next year probably. That doesn’t diminish the fact that the PS5 was a great piece of technology back in 2020. But tech advances quickly and four years on and PS5/Series X will be getting a bit dated.
Maybe if there was a way to send them back my current console for recycling or something, and get a discount on the upgraded version in return then I would be okay with that idea. But otherwise fuck that.
It would be nice and convenient if there was an upgrade program but someone can always sell their base console and use the money to help buy a Pro console. You’d probably end up getting more money selling it privately compared to an upgrade program anyway.
And I will put my money where my mouth is because I never bought PS4 Pro and waited until PS5 was out before I made the jump. That's right, I played CP2077 or a regular-ass PS4, motherfucker, because that's how strong my convictions are!
Ok, that’s your preference but not everyone is happy to make that choice. Some people were happy to buy a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X and enjoy Cyberpunk at higher fidelity.
But all jokes aside, I just think that it's a sleazy way for console manufacturers to get us to pay them twice for the same console.
Absolutely they’re trying to get us to pay more money (when aren’t they trying to get more money out of us) but it’s only an option. You aren’t forced to buy another console. It’s there for those of us who want it.
Sure the boost in performance is nice but IMO it's not worth the money.
And in many people’s opinions the performance boost is worth it.
Plus it happened once before so at this point, they should just anticipate the need for a mid-gen refresh and prepare current consoles with some sort of expansion bays that you could just use to plug in a performance-boosting add-on module. Not buy the whole damn thing again.
I don’t think a proprietary module would work since a console’s CPU/GPU exists as an APU on a motherboard. It’s not like graphics card that you can slot in and out of PCI slot. Also, the PS5 Pro will probably have upgrades to its RAM and who knows, it might even get a CPU boost. You can’t put all that into a proprietary module.
 

Hohenheim

Member
I don't really care since I play 90% of my games on PC,but I guess the need for a pro console is the fact that many new games only manage 30fps on todays consoles. Console players got used to 60fps during the last few years, and the fact that the latest consoles struggle to get that on new titles makes the need for better hardware obvious.
Hard to go back to 30fps.
 

Fredrik

Member
Because right now it’s like:
- 30 FPS quality mode
- ugly 60 FPS performance mode
- 1080p raytracing mode


All those options suck.
Don’t forget about late PC releases we can play when everybody has spoiled the story. We have those too. Sometimes with shader stutter.

😤
 
If you're frugal and only upgrade your PC when you absolutely have to, I don't understand why you don't want to take that same approach when console gaming.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
There’s always going to be a trade off between image quality, frame rate, and resolution. That is true even for games that are optimized to the 9s like e.g. Ratchet and Clank.

What, do you think that all game would be 4K 60FPS with no compromises if only the devs weren’t so lazy?
Maybe not, but the thing is thar people are citing terribly coded games like FF16,immortals of aveum, forspoken & Gotham knights as reasons why we need a pro when more often than not these games run bad because they are badly made. Spiderman 2 is coming out soon and it will quell all the thoughts of people saying the ps5 is too weak and needs a pro.

What we simply need are more dedicated devs who are willing to make their game run as well as possible on all platforms rather than catering to them by bringing the hardware floor up and up.
 
I guess all-time console players have experienced what it is to upgrade hardware every few years, instead of waiting 8-10. And when a new generation comes and you see the new games, your brain goes "hmm, it is good, but it could run better".
 

Spyxos

Gold Member
Something to add, gamestop and probably many places do promotions like "bring your old ps5 and you get a ps5 pro for half the price", so people are not gonna spend that much on a pro console.

It's like upgrading a gpu and selling the old one.
I did then with my ps4, but in Berlin are only 8 gamestops left and somehow I have little confidence that the gamestops remain open for a long time.

Edit: lol already only 6 gamestops left.
 
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ungalo

Member
I don't understand it either. Games will still be dragged down by the Series S.

One X and PS4 Pro had their use for a very limited amount of games that were almost unplayable at the end of the generation, even though sometimes they weren't even doing much better (like Control on PS4 Pro).

It's a neverending logic but i guess if you have money and are fascinated by new hardwares..
 

GymWolf

Member
I did then with my ps4, but in Berlin are only 8 gamestops left and somehow I have little confidence that the gamestops remain open for a long time.

Edit: lol already only 6 gamestops left.
I had the same fear after reading the past news about gamestop, but the one close to where i live is always full of people and they don't even think about closing, the place is a gold mine.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
I guess the need for a pro console is the fact that many new games only manage 30fps on todays consoles.
I see this argument repeated again but unless I'm missing something, there's like what? One of those, maybe? Last I checked only Gotham Knights was running in 30 FPS, and that's only because of the lazy developer who didn't bother optimizing the thing. Everything else that I played so far had a performance mode so idk what's up with this.

If you don’t care about the highest fidelity then you don’t have to shell out for a Pro. You’re current console will continue to play every game. But some of us do care and some of us do have a problem with 30fps gaming so the Pro console exists to provide a option for those of us that care.
Again, when someone makes this argument, clearly you're forgetting how many PS4 games had an absolutely awful performance on the base version of the console because it clearly became a second priority for developers once PS4 Pro hit the store shelves.
 

DrFigs

Member
I don't understand it either. Games will still be dragged down by the Series S.

One X and PS4 Pro had their use for a very limited amount of games that were almost unplayable at the end of the generation, even though sometimes they weren't even doing much better (like Control on PS4 Pro).

It's a neverending logic but i guess if you have money and are fascinated by new hardwares..
You say this, but starfield runs at 30 fps on the series x and we're not near the end of the generation and that's with the series s allegedly dragging down how ambitious games can be. apparently that's acceptable to xbox gamers, but i think we should expect better.

it's the same w/ ps5 pro. like Returnal was a 1080p ps5 exclusive. that's pretty bad. the consoles were already having performance issues very early into the gen.
 
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Daneel Elijah

Gold Member
If you think that another Pro generation won't have a wider impact on how games are going to be made and how much worse they'll be to play on the older versions of the console then you must be delusional. This won't be a situation where some people would benefit while the rest of us stay where we are. There are plenty of examples of games that ran like crap on base PS4 compared to their Pro counterparts because developers kept pushing the graphics to the point where it was getting too much for the older hardware, and optimization was clearly not a priority in those cases.
This is a weird opinion to have for me. Last gen people complained more about games not using the full power of the One X and PS4 Pro than them being mandatory to have a polished version. This gen the Series S make this scenario impossible to happen again, unless the devs are really bad at their jobs, and the game that those devs are making should not be a concern for most gamers I hope.
I don't understand it either. Games will still be dragged down by the Series S.

One X and PS4 Pro had their use for a very limited amount of games that were almost unplayable at the end of the generation, even though sometimes they weren't even doing much better (like Control on PS4 Pro).

It's a neverending logic but i guess if you have money and are fascinated by new hardwares..
A game like Vampire Survivors for example was not made with those Pro consoles in mind. But some will take the effort and be worth it. When you can play hundreds or thousands of hours of one game, having a better version of it available is a pretty good idea IMHO. Think of the next great game that you will play and if you could, would you want for it to be even better or not? This is why some of us want the Pro versions to happen.
 
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HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I see this argument repeated again but unless I'm missing something, there's like what? One of those, maybe? Last I checked only Gotham Knights was running in 30 FPS, and that's only because of the lazy developer who didn't bother optimizing the thing. Everything else that I played so far had a performance mode so idk what's up with this.


Again, when someone makes this argument, clearly you're forgetting how many PS4 games had an absolutely awful performance on the base version of the console because it clearly became a second priority for developers once PS4 Pro hit the store shelves.
I am just going to be brutally honest here and I know how it comes across but I try to be as honest as I can

If I have a PS5 Pro and I keep using Wolverine as an example but they target the Pro first and the standard PS5 has struggles I really don't care

I didn't buy a 4090 to worry about how games are running for people with a 2070 PC

I didn't buy a PS5 to worry about how games are running for people on PS4s

Sorry its just how I feel
 

justiceiro

Marlboro: Other M
Pro versions are stupid in my opinion.
Like why even bother with getting a new console at launch when a better one is a few years away?
The less exclusives a console has the less it even matters.

By the time a pro version is out, the games you want are now cheaper and, save yourself $500+ by "upgrading" to ~10% performance boosts with a high risk of some to many games not showing any sign of improvements at all.

Skip pro and just wait for the next gen console.
It comes with last gen pro, for free.
I see as exactly the other way around. If consoles will get pro versions, then getting the base version makes no sense, as the first games to come out each gen are not fully utilizing the new architecture anyway. Besides, considering most games release as cross gen, there is not a lot to be missed for not getting the base version as soon as it comes out.
 

Hohenheim

Member
I see this argument repeated again but unless I'm missing something, there's like what? One of those, maybe? Last I checked only Gotham Knights was running in 30 FPS, and that's only because of the lazy developer who didn't bother optimizing the thing. Everything else that I played so far had a performance mode so idk what's up with this.


Again, when someone makes this argument, clearly you're forgetting how many PS4 games had an absolutely awful performance on the base version of the console because it clearly became a second priority for developers once PS4 Pro hit the store shelves.
I don't know if the issue is very common, but Starfield is the latest example. Playing that in 30fps sounds horrible, and I understand the need for beefier consoles if games like that run in 30fps only on consoles.
That being said, people can't expect hi-end performance from consoles when they're priced the way they are.
Every new console seems to be at least one "generation" behind latest PC hardware, so if performance is the most important thing, they should get a beefy PC.
The PS5 pro will be nowhere near a good PC rig.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
I am just going to be brutally honest here and I know how it comes across but I try to be as honest as I can

If I have a PS5 Pro and I keep using Wolverine as an example but they target the Pro first and the standard PS5 has struggles I really don't care

I didn't buy a 4090 to worry about how games are running for people with a 2070 PC

I didn't buy a PS5 to worry about how games are running for people on PS4s

Sorry its just how I feel
Don't worry, I don't give a shit about how you feel either.

This is a weird opinion to have for me. Last gen people complained more about games not using the full power of the One X and PS4 Pro than them being mandatory to have a polished version. This gen the Series S make this scenario impossible to happen again, unless the devs are really bad at their jobs, and the game that those devs are making should not be a concern for most gamers I hope.
Why is this a weird opinion, though? It's a demonstrable fact that a lot of games were running poorly on the base PS4. Is it such an outlandish idea to expect a game to at least run at a stable framerate instead of dipping into single digits during combat? If anything this is just another argument that Pro versions shouldn't happen again in the future because if you're a developer, it creates this ridiculous catch-22 when you can't push the new hardware to its limit because you have to keep scaling your game back so that it would keep running on the old one.
 
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Zuzu

Member
Again, when someone makes this argument, clearly you're forgetting how many PS4 games had an absolutely awful performance on the base version of the console because it clearly became a second priority for developers once PS4 Pro hit the store shelves.

Sorry I’d need some examples because I’m not aware of them (outside of Cyberpunk) without going and looking them up. If this was a widespread issue then I would agree that this would be a genuine cause for concern. But I don’t know how widespread it was.

Maybe I’m naive but I do think the PS5 base console would fare better alongside a Pro than the PS4 did. The PS5 is a better piece of tech relative to its time than the PS4 was and I think it’s capabilities will be better for longer.
 

Brock2621

Member
Because most of the people (myself included) who would normally want to buy a PC but don't want to mess dealing with a PC, want the best of the best in regards to graphic fidelity.
 

Crayon

Member
It's not everyone. It's never everyone. The comments you are reading are from people excited to get a pro. Naturally. Nobody's singing from the rooftops about how they will keep their regular ps5.

Aside from that, the ps4 and pro coexisting last time around went as smoothly as you could hope. The ps4 versions of games continued to get care put into them for the most part. Seems like people who want one and those who don't all get what they want. I don't see anything mysterious about some people wanting a little more juice and willing to spend the money.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Sorry I’d need some examples because I’m not aware of them (outside of Cyberpunk) without going and looking them up. If this was a widespread issue then I would agree that this would be a genuine cause for concern. But I don’t know how widespread it was.

Maybe I’m naive but I do think the PS5 base console would fare better alongside a Pro than the PS4 did. The PS5 is a better piece of tech relative to its time than the PS4 was and I think it’s capabilities will be better for longer.
Just off the top of my head, I remember having a really bad time with Control, Crysis Remastered, Maneater, and Cyberpunk. Those were some of the most egregious examples that stuck with me specifically for how shockingly bad the performance was. Some of them eventually got patched, I think, but it still took over a year after the release for the developers to even bother doing anything about it, which feeds into the idea that those versions had a lower priority in terms of optimization and patches.
 

Xtib81

Member
Always the same people pretending they don't understand. It is really not that hard : I don't want to play on PC and I don't want to be stuck with the same dated tech for 8 fucking years, which in the tech world is an eternity. It's all about giving the CHOiCE to players. You don't want it? Stick to your base model but know that if you want, you can upgrade.
 

Daneel Elijah

Gold Member
Don't worry, I don't give a shit about how you feel either.


Why is this a weird opinion, though? It's a demonstrable fact that a lot of games were running poorly on the base PS4. Is it such an outlandish idea to expect a game to at least run at a stable framerate instead of dipping into single digits during combat? If anything this is just another argument that Pro versions shouldn't happen again in the future because if you're a developer, it creates this ridiculous catch-22 when you can't push the new hardware to its limit because you have to consider making your game run on the old one.
Because you can't have it both ways. Either the games are not utilizing the Pro versions as they could, or the games suddenly decided to be only good in the Pro version. If the game is made by bad devs, or not given the time and ressources to be good, it will be bad no matter what, Pro or not Pro. And that was for the PS4 gen, who took devs, studios and publishers by surprise. Now we are years into this gen, and the Series S will make it even harder for that to happen. By the way I should have said peculiar, strange more than weird. Dunno how you took it but it was not against you. I do not entirely disagree with you. Having one console to work on is key to have great games. But as the Series S is already here, there is not harm to have a Pro too. It can't get much worse at least. And once again bad publishers/ studios/ devs will fuck up their games no matter what, Pro or not Pro.
 
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I'm not. After the *mostly unsuccessful experiment* of the PS4 Pro/ One X, I am totally uninterested in iterative pro consoles moving forward. Just wait til the next-gen system for your leap. There's only so much improving you can do without scrapping what's already there. But they can't do that, because then current games wouldn't run.

Getting MH World to run at slightly higher res and 39 FPS instead of 28 FPS was literally not worth a cent. In hindsight.
 
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Kurotri

Member
I agree with you OP, but current industry trends kind of demand pro consoles to be a thing now, and I fear this is just how it it's gonna be going forward. The smartest thing you can do is hop on PC gaming or wait for the pro console every generation instead of getting the original release. Plus. you'll have a proper backlog by then of exclusives that you can get for cheaper and you'll play in better quality. Just ignore the inital hype next time.
 
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flying_sq

Member
As a PC gamer, I am all for the pro consoles. Devs primarily target consoles as the graphics and gameplay benchmarks. So I feel PC gaming stagnates when consoles can't keep up with PCs after a couple years. Especially with parity contracts and who knows what else goes on in console deals.
 

Sethbacca

Member
The real question here is, if you can afford it, why wouldn't you want Quality + Performance in every game instead of being forced to choose one or the other?

Give me a new console every two years to be honest. These long generation cycles need to end.
The whole consoles as cell phone like devices was predicted a while ago. Kinda surprised we're not on a 3 or 4 year cycle at this point.
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
The real question here is, if you can afford it, why wouldn't you want Quality + Performance in every game instead of being forced to choose one or the other?
I can afford it, but I just don't think that there's enough value in a mid-gen refresh to merit another full-priced console purchase. Just because I can afford to be wasteful doesn't mean I should. I wanna be smart about my money, and not just consoom.

PC are a lot better in that regard because they offer a hell of a lot more flexibility in terms of making a performance upgrade while keeping it frugal at the same time.
 
I just look at it like okay, so now I buy this fucking thing and within six months games won't hit 60fps and what not again because now we need PS6 and lol, why did you think PS5 Pro would eternally support... bla bla.

I'm good for now.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
If a PS5 pro can boost PSVR2 games then I'll get one. My PS5 is mostly hooked up to a 1080p plasma so it's always performance mode for me.

It's just another option for people, doesn't bother me either way.
 
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Sethbacca

Member
I can afford it, but I just don't think that there's enough value in a mid-gen refresh to merit another full-priced console purchase. Just because I can afford to be wasteful doesn't mean I should. I wanna be smart about my money, and not just consoom.

PC are a lot better in that regard because they offer a hell of a lot more flexibility in terms of making a performance upgrade while keeping it frugal at the same time.
But that's the thing, it doesn't need to be a whole separate purchase, just trade your existing PS5 toward it (or sell it separately for a better cash price). The cost of a graphics card alone these days is 2x-3x the cost of a console, so I wouldn't exactly call PC frugal at this point. Maybe 20 years ago yeah, but PC hasn't been affordable for a while now.
 
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I only see this happening here. Never found anyone in real life wishing for pro consoles.

I think it's just those dudes who never play, only watch some dude playing YouTube and need to tell everyone here "consoles *beep"* outdated, *boop* not a console player but need to tell how consoles are weak *beep* and need a refresh *boop*".

Some even buy the console so they can have some kind of moral ground to speak badly of the platform in fanboy wars. Saw a lot of this behavior over the internet. Tiresome.

I say: want something better? Open your wallet and build a PC. The only refresh a console should ever get is slimmer versions (or with updated storage).
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
I only see this happening here. Never found anyone in real life wishing for pro consoles.

I think it's just those dudes who never play, only watch some dude playing YouTube and need to tell everyone here "consoles *beep"* outdated, *boop* not a console player but need to tell how consoles are weak *beep* and need a refresh *boop*".

Some even buy the console so they can have some kind of moral ground to speak badly of the platform in fanboy wars. Saw a lot of this behavior over the internet. Tiresome.

I say: want something better? Open your wallet and build a PC. The only refresh a console should ever get is slimmer versions (or with updated storage).
None of this describes me and I do have a nice PC but as of now that still doesn't play PS exclusives day one
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
I agree, it's annoying, feels exploitative and cheap, and cuts against the whole concept and benefit of consoles, once you have multiple SKUs to support.

I'll use the PC if I want configurations. Console games are best when they simply run with one and only one possible config and one level of output.
 

Sethbacca

Member
I only see this happening here. Never found anyone in real life wishing for pro consoles.

I think it's just those dudes who never play, only watch some dude playing YouTube and need to tell everyone here "consoles *beep"* outdated, *boop* not a console player but need to tell how consoles are weak *beep* and need a refresh *boop*".

Some even buy the console so they can have some kind of moral ground to speak badly of the platform in fanboy wars. Saw a lot of this behavior over the internet. Tiresome.

I say: want something better? Open your wallet and build a PC. The only refresh a console should ever get is slimmer versions (or with updated storage).
I've been a PC gamer since the mid 90s. As I get older and spend my entire day in front of a PC working, I don't feel like keeping up with the industry and just want the convenience of consoles and sitting on my couch. I keep kind of a token older gaming PC around but I don't spend the time updating the hardware like I did 20-25 years ago when I first got into PC gaming.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Some of the posts here are wild lmao. The question should be : why do you care about other people buying a pro console if you're not interested in a pro model in the 1st place?
Just like the guys at Digital Foundry getting mad at the idea

Angry Jimmy Fallon GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
 

skit_data

Member
FFXVI made me realize we will probably need a PS5 Pro within a year if we want to keep playing games at 60fps at reasonable resolutions.

30fps didn't use to bother me much but ever since I got an OLED it's definitely more noticeable (even film feels very stuttery and wierd tbh).
 
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ZoukGalaxy

Member
Well, you can exclude me from "everyone " and I think this obsession is related to phones and similar devices, where people always want the "last better powerful" model at any cost for the sake of having it, and for "social" reasons. You want more power folks ? Just go PC.

That's stupid if you ask me, and a waste of ressources, money and much more. Corporations use their best strategy to make you think that you need the last thing. And now people are so used to it that it's going to transpose to game consoles, sadly. Corporations noticed that too, if not, created it. People wants more iteration because they think they need more powwaaaaaaa to play 60fps (aka "oh my god, below 60fps it's unplayable") when, again, you can just go PC and satisfy your "mine is bigger" or "I need more powwaa" complex/obsession.

That's the world where we live, where "Pro", "Max", "+", "Premium" and so on dictates your mind.

Proliferate Charlie Chaplin GIF by nounish ⌐◨-◨
 
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