PS5 Pro, 4K TV, and HDR

by Rian

The new PS5 Pro is released at $699.99, and I’m here to ask a question: Is a gamer not entitled to sweat of —I meant— pixels of his consoles? Enough Andrew Ryan quotes, but it is a serious question nonetheless. At $700, PS5 Pro has a tough battle ahead of it to win the spotlight in the entertainment room. And that rivaling champion is no other than the TV itself.

There is no doubt PS5 Pro will fly off the shelves of every stores regardless of the price, —and as I am writing this, it certainly is— but the pro lineup does beg the question: is there no other way to enhance the experience, but to replace the console? Compared that of smartphones, console trade-in is still a smaller market; as far as I am aware, Sony is not officially offering buy outs for older consoles. The irony in the manufacturer’s choice, or lack of choice, is that console life cycle, including upgrading to a pro model, is similar to that of smartphone upgrade cycles, usually that of 2-4 years, and the trade-in would equally entice the current owners to stay within the ecosystem.

Regardless, with $700 budget, I do wish to propose a contender for console players: a good TV. Black Friday sale is on the horizon —pre Black Friday apparently is a thing in 2024—, and a good TV is likely to outlast a good console anyway. 4K or even 8K TV with HDR support will give you the experience the developers would have wanted you to see. Not to mention TV can be used for other streaming services, so you will watch what the salespersons in CES were calling it for: how director wanted it on TV.

This is also the where my biggest gripe against buying a TV without a proper streaming device, or a media player, or a gaming console comes from. In modern days, one device can act as all of them anyway. TV manufacturers, despite calling their TVs to be smart and have the essential apps, usually don’t provide software upgrade support past the initial few years, let alone third-party supports. A TV in my room, when it first came out, was touted as having a voice assistant, a camera for Skype, and a 3D functionality, no less. None of them work properly now. Voice assistant was always bad, and it is quite dead with its server shutdown. Zoom and Discord have replaced Skype in terms of popularity, and Skype client for 3D TV is also dead, not to mention always-on camera and microphone are security nightmare. 3D is probably still working, —this one needs a special glasses— but I haven’t tried it since the first Avatar movie.

PS5 Pro priced at $700 is still an odd choice, —and that price doesn’t include ODD— but if you do have a budget for an upgrade, here’s another choice you can make. And for anyone who is buying a PS5 Pro, hope you have fun. I recommend Astro Bot or Demon’s Souls as a starter.