The world of consoles is a bit of a weird one at the moment, what with both Microsoft and Sony making mid-generation hardware improvements, perhaps admitting their first batch of consoles just wasn’t up to the task. Microsoft were first to fire, unveiling the Xbox One S and promising a mega powerful console in the form of Xbox Scorpio later on. But at the PlayStation Meeting this week, Sony fired back, revealing their upgraded console, the PS4 Pro, out this year.
Blah, blah, consoles, Sony, Microsoft – shut up. Here’s our list of the best PC games.
Sony say their console, which is capable of upscaled 4K, wasn’t a reaction to the new Xbox, however – it was a reaction to us, PC gamers. Specifically PC gamers like me, who left mid generation for something capable of a bit more.
“I saw some data that really influenced me,” Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Andrew House told the Guardian. “It suggested that there’s a dip mid-console life cycle where the players who want the very best graphical experience will start to migrate to PC, because that’s obviously where it’s to be had.
“We wanted to keep those people within our ecosystem by giving them the very best and very highest [performance quality]. So the net result of those thoughts was PlayStation 4 Pro – and, by and large, a graphical approach to game improvement.”
It’s a noble goal, if true, but people don’t only come to PC for graphics, they come for flexibility, cheaper games and more choice. Obviously graphical oomph plays a large part, but it would be wise not to forget the rest. Bethesda announced earlier that Sony had vetoed Fallout 4 and Skyrim mods on console, so I’d wager the console company still doesn’t quite get that just yet.
Then there’s upgrading. I mean, sure, a new rig will cost you more than the$399 price point of the PS4 Pro, but it can do a lot more and, when you want to upgrade, you just buy the specific parts you need. I don’t think the new console is going to stop people coming over to PC any time soon.
Mass Effect: Andromeda did look lovely when shown at the PlayStation event this week, though. Still, I bet it looks better on a GTX 1080. Phwoar.