Previously called PlayStation Neo, PS4K or PS4.5, the PS4 Pro (reviewed here) is Sony's first ever mid-generation major console upgrade and it's now available to one and all.

You can now get your hands on the 4K gaming powerhouse, so here's everything you need to know about the PS4 Pro in order to help you make a decision on whether to plump for one or not.

Sony PS4 Pro: Release date

The PlayStation 4 Pro went on sale on Thursday 10 November, about a year ahead of its major 4K gaming rival, Project Scorpio from Xbox.

Sony PS4 Pro: Price

The 4K, highly spec'ed console is just £349 in the UK ($399 in the States). That's cheaper than some standard PlayStation 4s were selling for until very recently.

Sony PS4 Pro: Specifications

Details of the PS4 Pro's specifications make for good reading for those interested in such things.

Here's what you get from your new machine:

  • Model number: CUH-7000 series
  • Single-chip custom processor
  • CPU: x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", 8 cores
  • GPU: 4.20 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon based graphics engine
  • GDDR5 8GB RAM
  • 1TB Hard drive
  • Approximately 295 × 55 × 327 mm (excludes largest projection)
  • Approximately 3.3 kg
  • BD × 6 CAV
  • DVD × 8 CAV
  • Super-Speed USB (USB 3.1 Gen.1) port × 3
  • AUX port × 1
  • Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) × 1
  • IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.0 (LE)
  • AC 100V, 50/60Hz
  • Max. 310W
  • 5-degrees C – 35-degrees C
  • HDMI out port (supports 4K/HDR)
  • Digital out (optical port)

Sony PS4 Pro: Will it replace the current PS4?

The PS4 Pro is more a mid-generation console than a complete new-gen machine. It is designed to complement rather than discard the original PlayStation. Instead, the company also ranges a new, slimmer PS4, which was released recently to replace the original box completely.

Sony PS4 Pro: Can it really run games in 4K?

There are plenty of naysayers who suggest that the GPU configuration will never be able to run games in a 4K resolution.

Sony, however, states otherwise. Since its announcement we have seen it running several games in 4K Ultra HD and they look superb. What's more, they adopt High Dynamic Range (HDR) picture tech too, in order to make use of a wider colour gamut and expanded contrast.

Some developers might choose to drop the resolution a tad in order to up frame rate, but the console itself is capable of native 4K rendering.

Many games will use checkerboard 4K rendering, which is more effective than upscaling but gets around data processing limits by rendering small blocks of pixels rather than each individually. But there will also be some that have full, native 4K graphics.

Sony PS4 Pro: Can it playback 4K video?

During the launch, Sony Computer Entertainment boss Andrew House confirmed that both Netflix and YouTube are on board as streaming partners. New versions of their apps should now be available to PS4 Pro owners.

They both offer 4K and/or HDR video content for users to stream on their consoles via the internet. They will no doubt be followed by other services.

One bone of contention about the console's media ambitions though is that it cannot, for some unfathomable reason, play 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. Considering Sony is a major driver in that format, with one of the biggest libraries of discs available, it seems an odd omission.

It doesn't seem to be something that can be added later through a software update either. The disc drive itself is not capable of spinning 4K Blu-rays.

Sony PS4 Pro: The games

All games that work on the PS4 Pro will also run on a regular PS4, although they will have better graphics on the more capable machine. This includes future games from first and third-parties, plus a whole stack of existing games, which have already been patched to offer higher resolutions and HDR images.

Here's a list of the titles confirmed to have PS4 Pro enhancements so far:

  • Bound
  • Battlefield 1
  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
  • DriveClub VR
  • FIFA 17
  • Helldivers
  • Hitman
  • Hustle Kings
  • inFamous First Light
  • inFamous Second Son
  • Knack
  • Mafia III
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • NBA 2K17
  • Paragon
  • Ratchet & Clank
  • RIGS Mechanized Combat League
  • Rise Of The Tomb Raider
  • Robinson: The Journey
  • Smite
  • Super Stardust Ultra
  • The Elders Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
  • The Last Of Us Remastered
  • The Last Of Us: Left Behind
  • The Playroom VR
  • Titanfall 2
  • Tumble
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
  • VR Worlds
  • World Of Tanks
  • XCOM 2