Is THIS a hint that Borderlands 3 is on the horizon? Is THIS a hint that Borderlands 3 is on the horizon? Best games of 2017: What's best to play and when New Lord of the Rings game Shadow of War unveiled We're making some changes to Digital Spy's forums Injustice 2 trailer is Batman v Superman done right With Christmas now very much on the horizon, many of you will be considering which of 2016's new consoles to put on your Christmas list, especially when it comes to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One S.Whether you're intrigued by Sony's all singing, all dancing 4K/HDR beast or Microsoft's slimline 4K media and HDR gaming machine, there really has never been a better time to buy a console.Technically, you've actually got three new consoles to choose from this year, with the PS4 Pro, Xbox One S and the revamped PS4 Slim all vying for your attention - and your dosh.But here it's all about the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One S.Related: Xbox One S vs Xbox One - Which Xbox is best?
The PS4 Pro is the slightly chunkier, but more powerful version of the PS4 and is aimed at those looking to be on the cutting edge of technology, but don't quite have the budget for a PC setup.Related: PS4 vs PS4 Pro - Which PS4 is best?Don't know which console to spend your money on? We're here to guide you, and put the Xbox One S vs the PS4 Pro, to find out which of 2016's new consoles you need to own.XBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – RELEASE DATEThe Xbox One S is technically already available, but it's a little complicated.When Microsoft first announced the Xbox One S, it revealed that there would be three versions of the slimline console, each with a different hard drive: 2TB, 1TB and 500GB.Well it turns out the 2TB Xbox One S was a limited edition console and has already sold out.The 1TB and 500GB models, priced at £299 and £249 respectively, haven't had a concrete release date yet, but there are limited edition FIFA 17 and Gears of War 4 bundles available with the 1TB model.The PS4 Pro is coming November 10, which is a lot sooner than most expected and just in time to make the most of that shiny new PS VR.
XBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – PRICEThe three Xbox One S models are priced at £349 for the now sold-out 2TB, £299 for the 1TB and £249 for the 500GB model.As we mentioned before, the 1TB and 500GB models are available now but in bundle form only.You can buy Limited Edition bundles with the Xbox One S and FIFA 17, Battlefield 1, Minecraft and Gears of War 4, either with the 1TB or 500GB models.The PS4 Pro will launch with a price tag of £349.99, which is exactly the same as the original PS4 launch price. That's for a 1TB hard drive too.XBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – SPECS The big difference between the Xbox One S and the PS4 Pro will be the specs.Sony's PS4 Pro features an eight-core x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" CPU with unknown clock speed, 4.2 teraflops AMD Radeon-based graphics card and 8GB GDDR5 RAM and 1TB storage.That's quite the graphics and speed upgrade for the PS4 Pro compared to the standard PS4, making it more powerful and able to offer much better graphics. It'll be capable of supporting 4K output for streaming services like Amazon and Netflix, but also native 4K gaming and 4K upscaling for full HD titles.
Sadly, it lacks a 4K Blu-Ray player, so you'll have to rely on streaming services for TV and movie content in glorious 4K resolutions. The Xbox One S on the other hand retains the graphics of the original Xbox One, albeit with a slight graphics boost.When it comes to games PS4 Pro is significantly more powerful than the Xbox One S – even though both consoles have support for HDR in games, which makes them much more realistically coloured than normal games.But you will need an ultra expensive 4K and HDR-compatible TV to reap the benefits.Microsoft's newest console does support 4K output for streaming services, it just won't run games in 4K. It also has a 4K Blu-Ray player – something that the PS4 Pro is lacking.XBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – DESIGN One of the best features of the Xbox One S is its design. It's 40% smaller than the original Xbox One and despite its size, it's finally got an integrated power brick. Comparatively, the Xbox One S is also smaller than the original PS4 by a hair.
The Xbox One S isn't just smaller all round, it's also capable of standing vertically. Sadly, the vertical stand is only included with the 2TB model, so if you buy the 1TB or 500GB version, you'll need to buy the stand separately.We love the perforated design of the Xbox One, especially as it comes in that rather sexy and sleek white as standard. There are other limited edition colour schemes available, but the white is the classic Xbox One S colour. Both the PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim have revamped designs, with much more rounded corners and a matte finish, rather than the two-tone design of the original PS4.The PS4 Pro is actually substantially bigger than the PS4 and the PS4 Slim in all directions because it's got an additional layer on the top to help make space for the more powerful internal hardware – think Big Mac vs Cheeseburger for a handy comparison. Or just check out the image above which has the PS4, PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim in a line-up - yes it is that big.The PS4 Pro can stand vertically too like the Xbox One S, but unlike Microsoft's latest console the stand is sold separately for £16.99.Sony's 4K beast does come with an additional USB port and the optical audio output missing from the PS4 Slim, which is great news for our audio equipment.
XBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – GAMESBoth the Xbox One S and PS4 Pro still play all the games available on the PS4 and Xbox One. The idea is that they're both an iterative step along the console timeline, so all your existing games will be compatible if you choose to upgrade, and anyone who's looking to buy the Xbox One S or PS4 Pro will still be able to catch up on the existing library of games.You'll also be able to play multiplayer with Xbox One gamers if you're on the Xbox One S and PS4 players if you're on the PS4 Pro.The only difference for Xbox One S owners is that you'll be able to utilise the HDR functionality on games that support it – such as Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 – if you've got an HDR TV.If you've got the PS4 Pro, there are a few key differences for games. They include higher and more stable frame rates, but also the ability to run games in HDR and in native 4K and upscaled 4K resolutions.There is one caveat to that though, in that Sony has admitted the "majority" of PS4 Pro games will be upscaled to 4K rather than natively."
I would say the majority will be upscaled - at least based on the game portfolio I have seen to date," said Sony's Andrew House to Digital Spy.However, there are plenty of games getting the 4K and HDR treatment, with over 40 of them being patched at launch:Here are all the games being patched for PS4 ProXBOX ONE S VS PS4 PRO – VIRTUAL REALITYThe PS4 Pro is much better equipped for the PS VR than the current PS4 thanks to its improved processing and graphical grunt.The original PS4 will still be able to run the PS VR and its associated games, but the PS4 Pro will give you a much better and more comfortable gameplay experience.The social screen, aka what anyone else in the house can see on the TV screen when you're deep in VR land, is vastly improved over what's available on the either of the standard PS4 consoles, although it's still not HD resolution or full screen.VR game developers are also starting to issues PS4 Pro specific patches for PS VR games running on Sony's latest console.
However, we will caveat this by saying that you'll need to disconnect the PS VR if you want to play games on the PS4 Pro in 4K or with HDR. That's because the PS VR's processing unit can't process either of these new display technologies.That makes moving between "normal" PS4 games and PS VR titles a bit of a faff, especially if your PS4 Pro is wedged in any kind of entertainment unit where the back isn't easily accessible.The Xbox One S however doesn't support any kind of virtual reality headset at present. That's because Microsoft is designing the forthcoming Xbox Project Scorpio with 4K gaming and virtual reality in mind.So you'll have to wait until 2017 to play VR titles on Xbox One - probably.VERDICTIf you want 4K gaming then you need to get the PS4 Pro or wait until 2017 for the Project Scorpio, but we have a horrible feeling it's going to be prohibitively expensive.However, if you're looking for the best 4K home entertainment system – Blu-Ray included – the Xbox One S is the one to go for.