Did PS4 Pro / Xbox One X do well enough to justify their existence?

[Pankratous]

Both consoles were pretty good and often a clear upgrade over the base consoles, especially for Xbox, but I'm not asking whether they were worth it from a technical perspective.

From a wider market perspective though I never really felt as if anybody but enthusiasts actually cared. The only people I knew going out of their way to upgrade to these consoles were people I would consider enthusiasts, and even then not all them bothered. How much affect did they have on the brands really? How well did they sell? As far as I know the PS4 Pro is gold dust already, I think production has stopped or at least slowed heavily?

Having to do the R&D and production for these new machines... was it really worth it?

Were they successful enough that Sony/MS will be thinking about a PS5 Pro / Upgraded Series consoles?

 

[PS9]

They both sold a fuckload.

I don't see Pro consoles hitting that soon this gen. PS4/XB1 were outdated when they launched whereas PS5/XS are top of the line gear in comparison.

 

[drewfonse]

Tell me how many they sold and I'll give you an answer,

I loved both of mine.

 

[Adrifi]

They both sold well, no?

 

[harz-marz]

Definitely helped prolong last gen and give MS/Sony time to get the new machines out the door.

 

[Scottoest]

I mean, if they sold well, then yeah. And it seems like they did.

I was extremely happy to have both, because of how underpowered the base consoles were.

 

[Jawmuncher]

X1X was absolutely essential. Can't imagine playing the few years it was available with only the regular Xbox. Such a good improvement that made up for the well under powered X1.

PS4 Pro I don't think was as essential. Was a nice bump, but the jump in quality wasn't as big compared to X1 to X1X (where you had games as low as 720P even at the start of the gen).

This gen I think they'll do mid-gen updates again. But they'll both skew more PS4 pro style. That is, once things normalize on stock and availability.

 

[Pankratous]

They both sold a fuckload.

Click to shrink...

It's something we can't possibly know, but I wonder how many of those were upgrades (reinvest in the ecosystem) vs first time buyers who would have potentially been happy with a base console anyway, but decided to spend a little bit more because of value? In which case that's still a positive for Sony/MS, but it's not like hardware is where the real money is.

 

[asd202]

In regards to Pro for owners of 4k TV I think it did what it was supposed to do. For 1080p users? PS4 did it's job until the end.

X1X was absolutely essential. Can't imagine playing the few years it was available with only the regular Xbox. Such a good improvement that made up for the well under powered X1.

PS4 Pro I don't think was as essential. Was a nice bump, but the jump in quality wasn't as big compared to X1 to X1X (where you had games as low as 720P even at the start of the gen).

This gen I think they'll do mid-gen updates again. But they'll both skew more PS4 pro style. That is, once things normalize on stock and availability.

Click to shrink...

I think this is a testament on how well balanced the original PS4 was when compared to Xbone. I think it's the most impressive console model of last gen.

 

[asd202]

Double post

 

[shadowsdarknes]

I think so.
It nearly standardized the performance and resolution mode options we see today.

The refreshes kept the generation feeling fresh. Leading up to the PS5, my PS4 Pro still felt good to play.

 

[reminiscingLemon]

Found the Pro underwhelming and it felt like this led to more sub 1080p games hitting the base console. Sony first party games for the most part looked incredible even with the ugly checkerboard artefacts. Spiderman looked incredible and dont recall any artefacting (although i may be mistaken)

Xbox One X kinda blew me away though. so many 4K titles, even stuff natively hitting 1800p looked incredible from it. and the upscaled OG Xbox & 360 titles were a real treat.

Pro i felt was too little too late, One X almost felt like a generational leap tbh

 

[Kyry]

I think the Pro was justified by all the PS4 exclusive software it ended up being the best place to play.
The One X did not feel that useful for someone with a competent PC.

 

[Kill3r7]

Absolutely. The difference between One X and One's performance is massive even apart from the resolution bump.

 

[jroc74]

I think both also served a purpose for this gen with enhancements, upgrades. The mid gen refreshes were like a test for this.

To try to answer the question in the OP, I dont think many cared. I had a Pro, my 2 sons the Slim. They didnt care, rarely played on my console. Only time they did care was because I had games they didnt.

Available games made the bigger difference. But IMO they did well enough to justify their existence. And at the same time... price was more important than power.

 

[60fps]

For me? Yes. More fps is always good.

I would also pay 350€ for a Super Switch just for performance, resolution and load times bump alone.

More and more Switch games look and run horrible.

 

[kubev]

I honestly can't speak for PlayStation 4 Pro, but I do think Xbox One X did well enough to justify its existence, as I think it helped to bolster confidence in the Xbox brand as a whole, given the limitations of Xbox One (and S). It also kept people like me firmly committed to the Xbox ecosystem, as I spent far less time even considering gaming on PC due to how much closer Xbox One X versions of games were to their PC counterparts.

 

[Bedameister]

The One X was absolutely essential for where MS is now. I loved both consoles and hope we will get similar things going onwards

 

[EJS]

Xbox One X was a huge jump from Xbox One, so I think so. PS4 Pro, I assume, sold a ton. The base PS4 was already a great machine so the difference from base to Pro wasn't as stark as Xbox's, but the Pro delivered, for me, at least.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

IIRC Matt implied a good while ago that another mid-gen refresh is coming, which is no surprise.

They both sold well and due to the time it takes to develop such a platform neither Sony or MS can afford to be caught with their pants down if the other releases one.

 

[Raigor]

One X was a much bigger leap from One compared to PS4 Pro -> PS4.

PS4 Pro felt half assed while One X was a pretty big upgrade.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

The One would be a complete failure of a console without the One X imo. Both consoles saved a few questionable performance games from being savaged by reviews on the back end of the console cycle.

Every day I can't find a PS5/Series X, I feel better about my One X purchase and the ability to play 4k games and smooth BC titles.

 

[UltimateHigh]

I held off.

Base ps4 was fine, so not much an issue.

base xbox was ass, so that kind of sucked.

Series X was even more a revelation after only owning base xbox.

 

[Emrober5]

I couldn't imagine not having my One X in the last few years of the One. The base console feels so dated in comparison, with new games hovering below 900p. The One X greatly increased my interest in Microsoft's products.

I feel similarly about the Pro, but the base console was a little better with regards to longevity, especially with exclusives.

If there end up being mid-gen upgrades again (and I think there will be), I will definitely upgrade.

 

[DvdGzz]

Looking back, I hope we don't have another mid gen refresh. My PS5 and XSX don't seem nearly as impressive as they should. Games look amazing on my Xb1X. The only difference is more 60fps games and loading times. Very nice bonuses but no big visual jump(so far) makes me sad.

 

[digitalrelic]

Absolutely, 100%, yes.

Honestly the only drawback from them is they made PS5/XSX a little less impactful.

The only thing I can imagine being added in a "Pro" console this gen would be some type of DLSS-type solution.

 

[TheGhost]

XOX was a huge bump
PS4 pro felt incremental.


Probably because og Xbox one was alot less powerful than og PS4.

Enjoyed both

 

[Ada]

The pro was an unbalanced console, not enough memory and still hobbled by the jaguar

 

[Spork4000]

Absolutely, 100%, yes.

Honestly the only drawback from them is they made PS5/XSX a little less impactful.

The only thing I can imagine being added in a "Pro" console this gen would be some type of DLSS-type solution.

Click to shrink...

DLSS just runs on deep learning AI cores, which the current consoles already have. Whenever AMD finishes their DLSS equivalent it should be able to be added to the current gen consoles with a software update.

Really I could see both consoles using to 72 CUs while having PS5 clock speeds. That would make both "truly " 8K capable and smooth out a lot of the issues their having, ie most games running atleast 4K and pushing the ones that can't currently hit 60 FPS to 60 or 120. This would probably also come with improved RT cores so they take less of a hit when games use it.

 

[DC5remy]

Yes. My ps5 pro buying trigger finger is ready

 

[Deleted member 45130]

Xbox One X felt like a real jump coming from PS4 and Xbox One. Similar to moving from 360 to Xbox One in my opinion.

I'm not sure upgrades will be a thing this gen since the CPU is a huge upgrade, SSDs should last a very long time and the GPU in each is nothing to sniff at.

I'm all in for an upgrade if they do happen. Nothing like more consistent resolution and frames.

 

[UltimateHigh]

if the midgen refresh happens again, and it seems like the current consoles are struggling (hope they aren't)...

I'll bite this time.

 

[EvilBoris]

I suppose the things is the R&D to some extent is a fixed cost, you have teams of people employed all the time to deliver a product once every 7 years. So in lots of ways it makes a lot of sense to try and make additional use of that talent - plus I have no doubt that the learnings of the hardware and software of the previous years have a positive benefit on the "REAL" next generation machines.

 

[Oghuz]

Absolutely. And I fully expect a PS5 Pro in 2024.

 

[Snake Eater]

The X1X seemed to be much more of a worthwhile jump than the PS4 Pro was

 

[Bulby]

Are there any real sales numbers? I doubt they sold that many. Both were dropped pretty quickly last year. Im sure they made their costs back but they certainly were not a massive success.

The PS4 pro wasnt particularly needed. The One X was, only because the original One was so awful.

 

[Spork4000]

I think they were pretty successful and I think they'll do it again. Think about it like this. The current gen consoles become the new baseline in game performance. You can build a PC near their spec through the whole generation and have a decent experience. So it's advantageous for the console manufacturers to have a spec above baseline to capture the crowd that want an experience above baseline but aren't technically minded enough/affluent enough to build a baller PC.

 

[Spasm]

I bought both and I don't think I could have survived the last few years of the gen without them. I'm totally on board for future 3-4 year mid-gen refreshes.

 

[DanielG123]

Yes. I couldn't imagine a scenario where the base last gen consoles were the only machines we had, up until now. The Pro, and One X especially, both did their jobs well as being stopgaps, or bridges into next generation. They're still good machines, and would've been be even better with actual fast I/O, and good CPUs.

 

[Yuuber]

Well, they commercially successful, so I expect both companies to do the same again this gen.

I didn't feel compelled to buy a PS4 Pro, honestly. PS4 ran games just fine and had HDR support. Most games looked great on my OLED TV.

Playing some PS4 games with just PRO enhancements on PS5 now, I'd say a bump in resolution definitely wasn't worth it.

 

[supkid]

From a personal perspective I don't think I would have enjoyed the taile end of the generation as much without the performance bump I got from the Pro, they were both underpowered consoles on release, so I really feel the upgrades were necessary. Not so sure we'll see the same happen this gen, unless it runs a lot longer than last.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

The ONE X felt like the peak of what a last gen console could be. (Within reason)

 

[IOTS]

Sony stated the PS4 Pro was made to not lose customers to PC and I guess it did its job to stop the moaning about performance like at the tail end of the PS3 era. I myself was never a fan of the idea.

 

[formasymphonic]

slightly off topic, but I am someone who believes pretty strongly that the value proposition of consoles (to both developers and us end users) is that there is a single spec and a "guaranteed experience" for everyone who plays the game. As a result I consider the mid-gen consoles to be antithetical to that. Additionally, they meant that MS and Sony feel like the needed to chase "4K native" as a marketing thing for new-gen when we can we that many titles are better off with check board or other smart-upscaling methods. They need this to differentiate from the Pro/1X and it's entirely a problem of their own making but I've made similar comments on that before.

On topic though, I don't thing volume wise the Pro & 1X were necessary (and the Pro might not even have been needed ideologically at all, as the base PS4 ran games respectably, though not flawlessly throughout most of the generation). The 1X however was absolutely necessary from a mindshare perspective after several years of having noticeably weaker hardware. We all saw the memes over the years and they were ruthless. Newer more powerful hardware, a reversal of the terrible policies/messaging and new operational strategies in game pass were all aspects to rebuilding Xbox into a better strategic trajectory than where it was going in the earlier part of the generation.

 

[Pein]

loved the pro and one x, give me that boosted image quality or better frame rate.

one x was seriously needed, the base xbox one was underpowered from the jump and games like FFXV were blurry messes.

 

[Liquidsnake]

X1X was absolutely essential. Can't imagine playing the few years it was available with only the regular Xbox. Such a good improvement that made up for the well under powered X1.

PS4 Pro I don't think was as essential. Was a nice bump, but the jump in quality wasn't as big compared to X1 to X1X (where you had games as low as 720P even at the start of the gen).

This gen I think they'll do mid-gen updates again. But they'll both skew more PS4 pro style. That is, once things normalize on stock and availability.

Click to shrink...

Agreed.

 

[oni-link]

I think we might seen mid gen refreshes again, but it's a different gen to last gen

Last gen started with 4k TV's not being a thing yet, and they were weaker systems from the start due to all the "consoles are dead" doom and gloom of 2010-2012

4K TV's rapidly became a thing and so it made sense to make Pro models that could use that, but that were also able to compensate for the weaker OG consoles

Unless 8K TV's become a cheap standard around 2024 I don't think they need to boost the current consoles

If you owned a 4K TV, the last gen refreshes were a big upgrade, whereas "the new systems keep 4K more often and the resolution lowers dynamically less now" is less of a selling point if you already have an X or PS5

A lot of people even now don't have a 4K TV yet, so even if 8K TV's become a thing, I can't see a new console being needed for it, more so as we're well into diminishing returns territory now. 1080 to 4K is a nice leap, but how much better is 8K than 4K? Is it going to be as noticeable?

 

[Phendrana]

I think they sold a decent amount, but the One X at the very least was being sold at a loss. Hard to say whether either of them ended up a success in the end.

In any case, I'm not banking on Pro consoles again this generation. Unlike last generation, the PS5 and Series X are actually very powerful at launch, which means the need for a Pro upgrade is lessened. There's also nothing to really market them with. 8K won't be a thing this generation. It's also pretty hard to envision Sony/Microsoft being able to produce even more powerful systems by ~2023/2024 that wouldn't be sold at a ridiculous loss per unit.

We'll just get Slim units this time imo.

 

[RF Switch]

They were absolutely needed and I welcome our new mid generation refresh overlords

 

[Ser Bloodraven]

Personally, the One X salvaged the past generation for me.