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[hinch7]

Didn't get either mid-gen refreshes. But they both seem rather unnecessary tbh. Both play all the same games as the base consoles, just with upgrades to performance.

The PS4 pro was less of a jump with a modest boost in specs and performance. The One to One X was much more significant coming from the Xbox One but it was fairly expensive for a upgrade for a new SKU in the same generation ($500 iirc). Imo waste of sand, and I don't see the point of either releasing refreshes this generation as neither PS4 Pro of One X sold that well compared to base models.

 

[deriks]

"Pointless" is not the right word for it, nor "necessary".

Let's go back to the PS360; consoles ahead of their time, and competition was fierce almost the same as Sega vs Nintendo. The problem? This competition made them run for the hills and status bar was promised even higher with almost to none conversation with developers. We didn't even get real HD games, bruh. It was an alpha test, and we were the guinea pigs in that generation with consoles launched way too early and with a lot of false propaganda.

Companies did their homework and then came PS4 and Xbox One with better hardware engineering, less expensive to them, games with internal resolution at 1080p (for the most part) and basically filling all the promises. The problem? It was the early 4K days, and people wanted 4K content, which was impossible for the PS4 and XOne. Those consoles were launched kinda late to the party for their hardware... and the companies anticipated that, so the Pro and XOX were made. I'm sorry, but the Pro and XOX are the real consoles for that gen

We should have less powerful consoles at 2005\6 and then get the original PS4 and XOne at 2011~2012. The Pro and XOX launches in 2016 and next gen at 2020 (or even a little later... it's not like we have a lot of games for this gen anyway).

 

[David B]

It was a must for the XBox. It gave Team XBox back their GPU mojo and they've never let it go since. XBox One X was a bad ass console

True. Microsoft is always making a more powerful graphical console every gen. That moves people to buy the Xbox console more as they know they would get better graphics than. However Sony knows that graphics don't matter big huge time because they have more exclusive games. However Sony making games available on PC now tells us that Sony may not be making a PS6 at all now and may be going PC only. As Sony is making a new PlayStation app for PC right now we've all heard.

 

[Team Andromeda]

True. Microsoft is always making a more powerful graphical console every gen. That moves people to buy the Xbox console more as they know they would get better graphics than. However Sony knows that graphics don't matter big huge time because they have more exclusive games. However Sony making games available on PC now tells us that Sony may not be making a PS6 at all now and may be going PC only. As Sony is making a new PlayStation app for PC right now we've all heard.

XBox was all about having the best and most powerful GPU and its so good its back and the One X was the start of that. Team Xbox got their GPU Mojo back and made a really nice looking console that was so well built. I don't SONY is moving away from Consoels at all, lots of SONY PS games were on the PC including 1st part titles and it never hurt SONY or PS sales.

Games on the PC was just a silly cheat shot that SONY fans used again the XBox . I don't need a XBox I just buy a PC. I never had a issue with it on the XBox or when SEGa were bringing some of the best DC and Saturn games to the PC. PC is called a PC for a reason and the same is true for a Console. They are not the same, nor of most of their end users.
I just use the PC for online and use consoles to game on

 

[jroc74]

With the performance modes that are being included now, I think they were absolutely necessary.

I keep saying they were like test for these modes.

 

[TheUsual]

The PS4 pro was the only console from last gen that I had. So I guess a necessary for me!

 

[ReBurn]

Didn't get either mid-gen refreshes. But they both seem rather unnecessary tbh. Both play all the same games as the base consoles, just with upgrades to performance.

The PS4 pro was less of a jump with a modest boost in specs and performance. The One to One X was much more significant coming from the Xbox One but it was fairly expensive for a upgrade for a new SKU in the same generation ($500 iirc). Imo waste of sand, and I don't see the point of either releasing refreshes this generation as neither sold that well compared to base models with the PS4 Pro or One X.

I don't think a jump from 1.84 TF to 4.2 TF for PS4 Pro is all that modest. It wasn't the jump that One X was, but it made a big difference for games that could take advantage of it.

They were necessary for people who wanted higher resolution games to go with their new 4K TV's. A lot of existing games looked bad on the base consoles when played on 4K displays.

 

[gundalf]

The Xbox One X was lit while the PS4 Pro was a leaf duster but where those necessary? Not really since there were no X/Pro exclusives but on the other hand it didn't seem to cause too much pain for devs, so I classify it as a "welcomed nice to have", neither pointless or necessary.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I still bought both though.

 

[Topher]

I don't think a jump from 1.84 TF to 4.2 TF for PS4 Pro is all that modest. It wasn't the jump that One X was, but it made a big difference for games that could take advantage of it.

They were necessary for people who wanted higher resolution games to go with their new 4K TV's. A lot of existing games looked bad on the base consoles when played on 4K displays.

I agree, although in retrospect I think I would have rather had a CPU upgrade as we wouldn't be stuck with all this 30fps nonsense from last gen, particularly on the PS4 side.

Having said that, the Pro and X were key in developers coming up with upscaling strategies for getting to 4K.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

This poll is retarded. Anybody with half a brain is going to have an opinion that falls between these two extremes. Almost like this was designed to generate arguments rather than gauge people’s opinions.

 

[GulfCoastZilla]

I had both, a more steady 4k experience on the One X was appreciated and i couldn’t imagine playing god of war on a base PlayStation 4, on the pro it sounded like it was about to explode and break.

 

[Justin9mm]

Pointless, the launch PS4 and an xbox one S lasted me all gen. upgraded to a PS5 and XSX at launch

I'm guessing you didnt have a 4K TV.

And if you did, then you missed out big time 3-4 years prior to current gen.

Sorry, but it was necessary.

 

[Matsuchezz]

As soon as the pro was available I went out to buy a 4K tv and it was awesome.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I didn't end up getting a PS4 Pro till about two years ago...even though it has been out a while it still does a reasonable enough job to warrant not getting a PS5 anytime soon...I had my original Xbox-1 for seven years and that did the job it needed to do despite the incremental upgrades....and I don't plan on getting the next Xbox Series X incremental upgrade unless it is absolutely vital to have...

 

[Fbh]

Only had a ps4 Pro but I would neither call it necessary nor essential.
It was decent upgrade for 4K TV owners (main reason I got one) but never felt truly essential as the base Ps4 did quite well for the remainder of the gen and Sony did a good job releasing really solid versions of their exclusives on the base model.

It was also a shame they didn't upgrade the CPU so we never got much of a performance boost.

The One X always seemed way nicer (smaller, quieter, noticeably more powerful with a more balanced hardware upgrade), but I never owned one. I also think it felt a bit more necessary as the base Xbox One really struggled during the final years.

 

[Esca]

I was very thankful sony released the pro. Really helped those years to the ps5.

 

[Pagusas]

I dont think they were pointless, Inf fact I hope we see a mid gen update this gen too. I like it.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Looking back?? I’d say pointless. I could’ve definitely lived without ever getting a One X, and just waiting another 2-3 years for next-gen. Kinda feel like devs didn’t really make max use of the increased spec. Had they really done that, would’ve been a different story.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Both Sony and Microsoft wanted to push 4K + HDR gaming to the masses and neither OG Xbox One nor PS4 were capable of 4K, so they needed these newer consoles to showcase the need for people to purchase a brand new 4K TV.

I envision the same thing happening this gen, perhaps sometime around 2024 or 2025, when ray-tracing starts to become a more prominent feature in games and it becomes apparent that both Xbox Series X and PS5 are not capable of any substantial implementation of the technology.

 

[eastcoastkody]

launch xbox one was NOT a good machine. Xbox One X was great.
the first 2 years there wasn't really any games worth moving to next gen for. So by the time PS4 Pro came out it was finally worth getting a playstation 4 imo. And i paid the same price as all those ppl that bought a launch PS4 and got a better machine and had a decent library to play

 

[intbal]

Can't speak for anyone else or for Microsoft's platform needs, but, for me, One X was absolutely critical. The games I play most frequently are from the BC library. The difference between One S and One X in OG/360 games can be enormous.
Furthermore, if One X had never been released, Series X/S would be playing all of the 8th gen games at One S settings (except for the small number that have gotten 9th gen upgrades).

 

[LeftThumbstick]

Not sure about PS4 Pro being necessary but the One X definitely was. The original Xbox One felt cheap, looked cheap and was underwhelming on specs, but did not come at a cheap price to match.

 

[DangerDiabolik]

The Pro was pointless, the One X was not.

Xbox started to turn a corner in terms of hardware design with their One S and the One X solidified that. Their ability to make powerful hardware in a small, attractive form factors has been impressive over the last few iterations. They're now undoubtedly the best console manufacturers in terms of hardware.

 

[SkylineRKR]

I think both weren't pointless. What was dumb, was that the Pro didn't play UHD discs. But other than that and the fact it was a noisy piece of shit, the Pro gave a higher base resolution to all games, with 1080p pretty much being the bare minimum so even for a 1080p TV it wasn't a bad purchase. I've used it on a 1080p for half a year or so, and games would look and perform better than on base PS4. Quite some games also had 60fps modes on Pro, which would be 30 on base PS4.

One X was more of a necessity. The Xbox One was severely underpowered failing to deliver 1080p more often than not. I don't think there was a single game that performed better on X1 than it did on PS4. But you could argue One X came out a bit late.

 

[David B]

The Xbox One, One S, and One X were crap to me. Microsoft put way too many internet requirements on it. Where I lived I could only get wifi and the Xbox One X would never connect to it. Sometimes I did but it would disconnect after just 5 minutes. They open this and that on the router, uh what? There's no open this and that crap at all, what are you talking about? Therefore I sold the One X as it would never ever stay online. But my PS4 Pro always stays online on wifi. Therefore xbox sucked. Now with Xbox Series X and S, they don't have those issues and I think Microsoft learned do not have those stupid internet requirements because a lot of people just ended up selling there consoles as they didn't work with there internet.

 

[LordBlodgett]

They were definitely needed. Both of the base consoles launched just as 4k TVs were becoming a thing. The base consoles were both pretty terrible for their time, with one of the most outdated CPU configs they could possibly have for when they launched. Microsoft especially needed the One X, as their entire dream for the generation was DOA (low power, TV, TV, TV, and Kinect). With the One X on the way Sony needed to respond in kind

 

[REDRZA MWS]

I upgraded both and glad i did. I had an LG OLED at the time and the “pro” version were def a big step up from base. I’ll upgrade my base ps5/SX too if and when the pro versions launch.

 

[David B]

I upgraded both and glad i did. I had an LG OLED at the time and the “pro” version were def a big step up from base. I’ll upgrade my base ps5/SX too if and when the pro versions launch.

I don't think they be doing pros this time. But than again if they want more money than they will. But I don't think they will as the teraflops of graphical power is already really high.

 

[Tiamat2san]

I upgraded each time.
One -> one elite (sshd + elite controller) -> one S ->one X

PS4 > PS4 pro.

And yes i would buy a PS5 pro and series X « pro »

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

If anything, the originals should not have happened. Sub 900p and 30 FPS was not a generational leap.

 

[F31 Leopard]

1st time buyer. Being a long time MH fan I got lucky. I was able to lock my pre-order at Gamestop. You couldn't pre-order in store because it was online exclusive. It was sold out at 1st but kept checking constantly for any pre-order reopenings. If there wasn't a special edition I probably wouldn't have brought a PS4.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

I don't think they be doing pros this time. But than again if they want more money than they will. But I don't think they will as the teraflops of graphical power is already really high.

They could add more compute units for things like ray tracing, and obviously higher graphical settings, among other things.

 

[coffinbirth]

But could it do anything the one couldn't?

Was it cheaper for Microsoft to produce them?

I remember when AC origins came, my friends one S ranked a lot in fps while one x had locked 30 fps.

Yes. It upgraded several components and aspects.

HDMI 2.0 allowed for 4K video playback and HDR content in games.
CPU clock uptick
Added Bluetooth
Upgraded controller
Upgraded WiFi
UHD drive
Added IR Blaster
Internal power supply, and obviously it's MUCH smaller

Supposedly it was slightly cheaper for them to produce as well, but this is according to teardown analysis and not official numbers.

But yeah, anyone that was UPGRADING went with a One X or they were limited by budget and/or intelligence. I wouldn't call it sensible to upgrade from a XBO to a One S unless it was just for the UHD/4K video playback features with no regard for how games actually performed.

 

[TLZ]

I had 2x PS4s, a PS4 slim and a PS4 Pro.

So you're that guy huh.

 

[ManaByte]

Didn't get either mid-gen refreshes. But they both seem rather unnecessary tbh. Both play all the same games as the base consoles, just with upgrades to performance.

The PS4 pro was less of a jump with a modest boost in specs and performance. The One to One X was much more significant coming from the Xbox One but it was fairly expensive for a upgrade for a new SKU in the same generation ($500 iirc). Imo waste of sand, and I don't see the point of either releasing refreshes this generation as neither PS4 Pro of One X sold that well compared to base models.

At $299 the Xbox One S was, at the time, the most affordable 4K UHD Blu-Ray player.

 

[intbal]

At $299 the Xbox One S was, at the time, the most affordable 4K UHD Blu-Ray player.

It remained the cheapest UHD player for a long time, because the price dropped constantly. I bought one 13 months after it launched for $199. That was new from Amazon. I'm sure refurbished units could be had for $150 at that same time.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

At $299 the Xbox One S was, at the time, the most affordable 4K UHD Blu-Ray player.

Xbox One S was the slim Xbox One, the Xbox One X was the premium upgrade and was $500.

 

[ManaByte]

Xbox One S was the slim Xbox One, the Xbox One X was the premium upgrade and was $500.

And? The One S had a UHD Blu-Ray player at $299.

 

[WalterSobchak]

I upgraded the ps4 pro for Psvr alone. After playing psvr on a base ps4 and upgrading to the pro the difference was quite noticeable. If not for Psvr I would not have bothered to upgrade.

Thought about getting a One X but could not justify it for myself. Didn't own a fancy TV to see the difference and it came out so late in the consoles lifespan. And already had 2 Xbox ones. Certainly was a pretty sweet console though.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

And? The One S had a UHD Blu-Ray player at $299.

The post you quoted wasn't taking about the One S.

 

[zcaa0g]

It was the first time I felt consoles had the visual fidelity of the PC platform. No bullshit.

 

[David B]

It was the first time I felt consoles had the visual fidelity of the PC platform. No bullshit.

Yeah PS3 and 360 felt behind still but it was getting there. PS4 Pro and Xbox One X though it was like wow this is like PC graphics good.

 

[64bitmodels]

they were what the consoles should have been at launch rather than just a midgen refresh
more fun to speculate on if this gen will need midgen refreshes (i think yes)

 

[Gamerguy84]

One of my TV broke so all that was really being sold was 4K sets. So i had the 4K set and not much to display on it.

Also had PSVR so kind of neceasary imo.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Those consoles were put together to prevent people from jumping ship to PC gaming. PC HW was pretty cheap back then and powerful. In 2014 you could buy low end PC gpus like a 750ti or r7260 that matched 8th gen consoles and a GTX 970 represented a massive leap in price performance.

 

[SportsFan581]

But could it do anything the one couldn't?

Was it cheaper for Microsoft to produce them?

I remember when AC origins came, my friends one S ranked a lot in fps while one x had locked 30 fps.

It was clocked a hair higher and does get a few fps more in a lot of games. It wasn't so much a new console though, just the mid-cycle cost reduction model (like the slim). Though MS did rework their chip, adding a lot of transistors to it along with the enhanced BR drive. I just had the old VCR.

 

[NeonGhost]

The Xbox One, One S, and One X were crap to me. Microsoft put way too many internet requirements on it. Where I lived I could only get wifi and the Xbox One X would never connect to it. Sometimes I did but it would disconnect after just 5 minutes. They open this and that on the router, uh what? There's no open this and that crap at all, what are you talking about? Therefore I sold the One X as it would never ever stay online. But my PS4 Pro always stays online on wifi. Therefore xbox sucked. Now with Xbox Series X and S, they don't have those issues and I think Microsoft learned do not have those stupid internet requirements because a lot of people just ended up selling there consoles as they didn't work with there internet.

That’s sounds like a you issue and not the fault of the console

 

[bender]

I upgraded my launch PS4 to a launch Pro. It was probably a necessary upgrade for Sony's VR ambitions. While I'm sure the improvements to games were numerous compared to the launch model, I can't say I ever felt the impact. Then again, I never returned to those games outside of the Pro. XOX was my first One so it's pretty hard to compare the experience. I loved how compact and quiet the hardware was, but it also failed within two years due to a known issue with how thermal paste was applied for some of those systems. One X was probably necessary to overcome the first few years of the One. It also paved the way for the Series consoles which have been wildly successful.

 

[odhiex]

It is necessary to keep the enthusiasts happy, but the general audience is fine with the basic console.

I bet they (Sony and Microsoft) are going to do it again this generation... or maybe we are no longer see the generational leap as we used to. They will keep reiterating with new hardwares with better tech and features.