PlayStation's future seems promising

At the India Gaming Show held in New Delhi I got my hands on the new PlayStation VR and PS4 Pro. Beginning with the PlayStation 4 Pro, I played Watch Dogs 2, Uncharted 4 and Battlefield 1 on Sony 4K TVs. The difference in graphics will vary from game to game and will depend upon the implementation of the Pro update. Uncharted 4 looked noticeably sharper but the leap in graphics was not that big. Since the game is already an outstanding technical achievement and the Pro update was not as substantial, the difference did not appear to be that noteworthy. On the other hand, both Watch Dogs 2 and Battlefield 1 looked head and shoulders above their standard PS4 counterpart. While no game was running at native 4K, it was striking how big of a jump it was from 1080p.

Since I only played small sections of the above mentioned games, I am now curious to see how the difference holds up across the entire campaign and multiplayer modes. At first glance, the PS4 Pro seems like a solid upgrade for those dissatisfied with the current graphical quality on the standard console. Any gaming hardware is defined by its software support and this is doubly true for VR. There were six stations for PSVR at the event, and your experience would’ve varied depending upon which game you played. It’s no secret that Resident Evil 7 is considered to be the first must-have VR game and the demo I played was a horror experience like no other. Batman Arkham VR was equally impressive, and for the briefest of moments, it made you believe that you were indeed the Dark Knight. Both games perfectly portrayed the benefits of VR. Other titles I saw, including Driveclub VR and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, were fine, though unremarkable.

My biggest concern with PSVR is the image quality, as most games looked extremely blurry. Adjusting the headset did make it a bit sharper but it was still less than ideal. It’s unclear whether this is the standard image quality of the PSVR or this was due to the setup at the event. It should be noted that the device was connected to a standard PS4 and not a Pro. The PlayStation 4 Pro will launch in February for Rs 38,990 and will sit alongside the new slimmer version of the standard PS4, which will set you back by Rs 27,990. PlayStation VR will also be coming to India in March and will retail for Rs 41,990. This edition comes with the camera which is required for VR. A bundle without the camera will be available later in the year for Rs 37,990. While both devices have yet to fully convince me as must-haves, they show great promise for the future of PlayStation.